The key to any downtown redevelopment is mixed use... Do we want 10 buildings of low-income seniors in the downtown area? - Of course not... Can one nice, remodeled, building for such tenants add to the downtown? - It certainly can and has in other towns/cities.
With all that Marshall is doing in terms of building new facilities and helping spur development between Hal Greer and 28th Street, seeing some redevelopment in the downtown is a positive. Making Huntington nicer and more desirable isn't going to happen over night, or even in a single decade, it's going to take continued efforts by the state, city, Marshall, private businesses, etc to make it happen.
I'm looking at buying a second home in Huntington currently to use as a vacation home (during football/soccer and basketball seasons) and I am purposely looking at "bargain" properties in less desirable neighborhoods. I have the means to renovate and if it's just a second home the neighborhood isn't really a huge concern for me. Im by no means some big time real estate investor, but with how cheap the prices are in Huntington right now, it's an opportunity to buy low, have a place that can save me on hotels throughout the year, and make a bad property better.