MORGANTOWN — HomeGoods. Ross Dress for Less. Burlington. Shoe Carnival. PetSmart.
According to information provided by WestRidge, all five national retailers are under lease and coming to WestRidge Commons in 2022.
The stores will bring a total of 100,000 square feet of retail space to shoppers, joining a 175,000 square-foot Menards, which is set to open next month, and a 70,000 square-foot Bass Pro Shops currently under construction in WestRidge Commons, located directly off I-79 Exit 153.
Site work for the new stores is complete and vertical construction is expected to begin by early next month.
“The team is very excited to finally be able to make this public, especially given the last year that we’ve had because of COVID-19,” WestRidge Leasing Manager Emily Sipes said.
Ryan Lynch, representing WestRidge, explained that the ongoing pandemic has delayed the process substantially, explaining “Everything right now is in the context of COVID-19.”
“We’ve been talking to these tenants for a long time, long before COVID,” he said, noting his appreciation that these chains as well as Menards and Bass Pro Shops have stayed committed to WestRidge.
“There was a lot of stress and uncertainty, but ultimately, if it is just a six or 12-month delay, we’ll feel pretty fortunate. So it is exciting to announce them and will be even more rewarding to announce them after the challenges caused by COVID.”
Much of that commitment, Sipes explained, comes down to the strength of the Morgantown/I-79 corridor market. Morgantown is considered a super-regional shopping destination with a 75-mile draw to 2.8 million square feet of existing retail space between Exits 152 and 155.
“These retailers have new store plans and target markets. I used to work for Dick’s Sporting Goods on their corporate real estate team, so I’ve seen it from that side,” Sipes said. “They have a list, and Morgantown was on these retailers’ lists because they see the success across the street at University Town Centre, and they want a piece of that pie.”
Sipes went on to say there are likely additional announcements forthcoming for WestRidge Commons as well as WestRidge’s corporate campus, which opened more than 130,000 square feet of office space in the first half of 2020 and includes tenants like Leidos, Steptoe & Johnson, MVB Bank and Larson Design Group.
Monongalia County Commission President Sean Sikora said the WestRidge announcement is welcome news. He said he’s also excited to see what a reconfigured Exit 155 will do for the development of that area and beyond.
The Division of Highways is in the process of conducting environmental and engineering studies to that end. Last August, the DOH estimated the cost of turning Exit 155 into a divergent diamond interchange with a flyover heading west at $66 million.
Commissioner Tom Bloom said the continued expansion of WestRidge, a reconfigured Exit 155, the recently announced agreement for Longview Power’s solar and gas expansion and planned growth at the Morgantown Industrial Park — including the possibility of a new Harmony Grove exit — are all part of a years-long push by the commission to diversify and connect the county.
“This has been an economic plan the commission has been working on with different individuals across the community, and it’s coming to fruition. I think a lot of people talk, but here you’re seeing results. And this has all gone on despite a pandemic. When many other areas are just trying to maintain, we’re growing,” Bloom said. “I’m just very excited. I’m thrilled, in fact.”
