Wheeling Planning Commission Approves Site Plan for LaBelle Greene IV Housing Development
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Members of the Wheeling Planning Commission on Monday night recommended approval for the site plan for the LaBelle Greene IV apartment complex in South Wheeling.
The planning commission assembled virtually for its February meeting on Monday evening and reviewed the site plan for the proposed project by the Woda Cooper Group. Plans call for the construction of a new four-story apartment building at 32nd and McColloch streets. The project is phase four in Woda Cooper's LaBelle Greene affordable housing development plan.
Three other LaBelle Greene projects have already been completed at the site, located at and around the former LaBelle Nail Plant site in South Wheeling.
Charles Garvick of Chadan Engineering Inc. of St. Clairsville, lead engineer for all of the LaBelle phases, and Tom Simons, vice president of the Woda Group, attended Monday's virtual meeting to answer any questions planning commission members posed about the proposed project.
According to the plans, each apartment will have two bedrooms, and a total of 38 apartment units are included in the designs. The exterior of the new apartment building will match or complement the same theme of the other new structures in the LaBelle Greene developments, officials noted.
"It will have interior common spaces for the office manager, computer room and amenities for residents as well," Garvick said. "We propose on site 43 parking spaces and do have an application in for a parking variance with this development as well."
The developer is trying to acquire one last remaining piece of property at the site — the only lot on the block for which they have not yet obtained ownership. If need be, the developers said they were hopeful that additional lot will be acquired, which could open up more space for additional parking.
"If the board of zoning appeals doesn't grant the variance, they either have to reduce the number of apartments being proposed or find additional parking," Tom Connelly, director of Building and Planning for the city of Wheeling, explained. "They'd have to provide the parking."
The parking variance is needed because the number of parking spaces required of this dwelling, according to city code, is 1.5 spaces per unit. This would call for 57 spaces. However, the developer hopes to obtain the variance to allow for 43 total spaces.
Connelly noted that in the past, variances were granted for similar developments in the past, but recent complexes were for senior living units. The LaBelle Greene IV project is being designed for multi-family residential apartments.
"We're pretty comfortable with our number of parking after the parking studies we've done on other family communities," Simons said, adding that efforts are still being made to acquire the last lot if additional parking is needed.
"That was the backup plan if we could not get the variance. Even if we get the variance, and get that piece of property during construction, our plan would then be to add in the parking."