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Expansion Continues at The Highlands in Ohio County

File Photo - Greg Stewart

WHEELING — Business growth continues at The Highlands in Ohio County, as both Nini’s Treasures and Tony’s Spa are moving to larger locations to better accommodate their stores, while officials plan to announce a new tenant soon for the former Cracker Barrel building near Interstate 70.

Also during Tuesday’s Ohio County Development Authority meeting, board President Randy Wharton and Treasurer Greg Stewart said earthwork for the Menards home improvement superstore is about 25-percent complete. Board members also discussed yet another expansion on the back of the hilltop development known as “Phase Seven” that will be primarily used for industrial operations.

“You can’t have enough land and you can’t have enough access,” Wharton, who also serves as a county commissioner, said after the meeting. “We continue to make great progress.”

During the meeting, Stewart, who also serves as county administrator, said Nini’s and Tony’s need more space for their operations. Nini’s is a boutique-style shop specializing in gifts and clothing, while Tony’s describes itself as a “high-end salon and spa.”

“They are both outstanding tenants, and we certainly want to help them further their operations,” Wharton said, adding that Stewart “already has new tenants lined up” for the spaces these shops will soon vacate.

After a 20-minute executive session, board members announced they had reached an agreement with a new tenant for the Cracker Barrel building, which has been vacant since October 2015. Wharton said the agreement is not yet official, so he declined to disclose the transaction price or name the new tenant.

“They can make their own announcement when they are ready,” he said, adding the new tenant will not be a restaurant.

Regarding Menards, Stewart said contractors are battling weather-related delays in preparing the site.

“We were off to a good start, but we are now at a standstill,” he said.

Wharton said county officials hope to be able to transfer the pad to the Wisconsin-based big box retailer within two months.

“Then it will be up to them when they start building their store,” he said.

One of the ongoing issues at The Highlands continues to be the proposed second interchange with Interstate 70, which would be located closer to Wheeling near the bottom of Two-Mile Hill.

Acknowledging that tentative plans for this second interchange have been in place since as early as 2005, Wharton believes the project is both feasible and necessary.

“You have so many accidents on Two-Mile Hill,” he said. “We are going to continue working on it.”

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