This Charles Street property, owned by Charleston-based NAJ, LLC, caught on fire about two
years ago. It’s one of many blighted properties in the area owned by the company.
Shinnston City Manager Chad Edwards said the city planned to sue NAJ, LLC in February of 2022. In the lawsuit, the City asked the court to order NAJ, LLC “to refrain from any future action that results in the creation of a public nuisance.”
In October of 2022, Trey Simmerman, attorney working on the city’s behalf, said the two entities
were nearing a settlement.
However, local officials, including Mayor Rodney Strait, say they don’t have a copy, and Simmerman has not responded to multiple requests for a copy of the document, which he’d said he’d release once finalized.
City officials say they’ll be able to demolish the Charles Street property with West Virginia Department of
Environmental Protection funding.
But according to newspaper legal ads, NAJ, LLC continues its efforts to buy up more properties.
Officials in Bridgeport and Clarksburg have confirmed NAJ, LLC owns properties elsewhere in the county.
NAJ, LLC has not responded to numerous media inquiries.
– Erin Beck
