Finding Faith In North Wheeling: Church Gets Preliminary Approval for New Home
WHEELING — For Ray Carney and the congregation at Faith Community Church, the July fire that destroyed the former Sacred Heart Church in North Wheeling turned out to be both a tragedy and a blessing.
Prior to the July 7 fire, the 100-member church had been leasing space from Wheeling Neighborhood Ventures in the former Sacred Heart building to hold its weekly services.
Now, just four months later, the church is on its way to having its own home on Kenney Street in North Wheeling.
On Monday, the Wheeling Planning Commission unanimously approved a special use permit that will allow the church to renovate the home at 403 Kenney St. and build an addition at 409 Kenney St. for a new sanctuary.
The church, founded in November 2007, already owns all the property from 403 Kenney St. south to 415 Kenney St. Its plans call for a sanctuary, parking and green space as part of the overall campus to serve its members.
Carney, a church deacon, outlined the proposal Monday to planning commission members.
He detailed how, a day after the July 7 fire, the church rallied and held services on the Kenney Street property under a tent – a site that became a temporary home until the weather turned cold.
“From July until now, we’ve had services outside in a tent. We want a permanent home,” Carney said.
The church has an aggressive timeline, with the addition expected to be completed by March 1, 2019, and the renovation to 403 Kenney St. by May 1.
Carney said he purchased the Kenney Street properties over the past 20 years, demolished the homes there and, just recently, donated them to the church. In the past, the property has been utilized as a community garden, among other items, and commission member Martha Wright commended the church for keeping a large green space in North Wheeling.
Kenney Street is located between Main and Market streets. Carney said the church also has discussed plans on how it could incorporate the city’s nearby Wilson Playground into the church’s service program.
In another matter, commission members approved an amended special use permit for the proposed Tin Roof Family Restaurant, 1913 Warwood Ave. Developers Bernard Lombard and Alex Coogan presented new plans that provided additional parking options at the site and also streamlined seating options inside.
The developers had presented their original plan in October, with planning commissioners seeking additional information and clarification on parking and the interior layout.
Coogan on Monday detailed how the property next to the planned restaurant had been paved to create eight new parking spaces. When combined with the additional parking behind the building, commission members agreed it would be adequate to meet the city’s zoning requirement for commercial structures, which is based on one parking space for every 100 square feet of interior space.
Several residents appeared at the October meeting to protest the location, but no one spoke in opposition Monday. Commissioners granted unanimous approval to the special use permit.
Two other issues came before commissioners. Capt. Benny Carringer of the Salvation Army of Wheeling outlined plans for a new parking lot on the south side of 16th Street next to the Army’s Thrift Store, adjacent to ASAP Auto Repair. He said the new lot would hold up to 24 spaces to help handle what he termed as an increase in business at the store.
“From noon to 3 p.m., we’re seeing a jump in sales and traffic. There’s not much street parking,” he said, noting metered parking spots are typically full during that period.
Commissioners unanimously approved a site plan for the lot. It next will go to Wheeling City Council for full approval.
The final matter was a Class II Home Occupation permit for Ryan Miller at 106 Grant St., where she is planning to locate her R&D Upholstery business. Commission members also unanimously approved the permit.
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