Fayette County housing report to be released next week
A new housing report examining development opportunities in Uniontown will be presented on Nov. 10.
The report will act as a way for recommendations to be made for increasing the city’s housing supply and encouraging economic growth.
The report itself was made possible through a $7,500 Housing Opportunity Grant from the National Association of Realtors, according to Justin Capouellez, political field representative for the Fayette County Board of REALTORS.
The report opens up the opportunity for development within the city, Capouellez said.
“It uncovers the opportunity for what the city could become,” he said. “We uncovered there’s a lot of vacant land in Uniontown and what makes that vacant land significant is there is infrastructure underneath that land, which is important because it drastically reduces the cost of producing new housing.”
The report also identifies opportunities for housing and future development with WVU Medicine’s location in Uniontown.
“Housing is one of the most important issues facing the future of Uniontown and Pennsylvania as a whole,” Capouellez said.
Capouellez also emphasized the connection between housing availability and economic development, citing a statistic shared during a recent U.S. Chamber of Commerce housing forum.
According to the statistic for every two jobs created, one additional housing unit is needed to accommodate the demand.
“Communities that are able to capture working families are the ones that are going to be able to succeed,” Capouellez said.
During the event to be hosted on Nov. 10 there will be three separate sections focused on housing development and opportunities for Uniontown.
The first section will talk about the report and recommendations for Uniontown and how they can increase housing, Capouellez said.
The second section of the presentation will feature Tom McCosby, the former president of the Pennsylvania Builders Association.
“Tom will be discussing innovative ways of how to build high-quality housing at an attainable price point,” Capouellez said.
The final section of the presentation will focus on the impact WVU Medicine has on Uniontown.
“Uniontown Hospital will be discussing all of the success that they’ve had over the past five years,” Capouellez said.
Capouellez pointed to Wheeling as a potential model for Uniontown to follow, after their success with WVU Medicine being located in Wheeling.