photo by: Eric Ayres

Wheeling Planning Commission members Ben Seidler, left, and Bill Lanham take part in a meeting this week at the City-County Building.

Members of the Wheeling Planning Commission this week authorized the establishment of a new Herbalife Nutrition Club at a residence in Edgwood.

Applicant Shawna Larese of 128 S. Park St. gave a presentation before the planning commission during a hearing to request a Class II Home Occupation Permit.

“My husband and I own the house at 128 S. Park St.,” Larese said. “We currently live in the upstairs, and we’d like to turn the downstairs of our home into an Herbalife Nutrition Club.”

Larese said the club offers what is marketed as the No. 1 protein shake in the world right now. The club focuses on weight loss through meal replacement protein shakes, teas and energy supplements.

There are similar clubs in Moundsville and St. Clairsville, and in fact, Larese has been working with the club in Moundsville. She said she would like to bring the program to Wheeling, and there is space in her 3,200-square-foot home to accommodate it.

“My initial plan is to start this on the weekends to see if this is something I could do full-time – to see if there is enough business that I could walk away from a job that I’ve been at for over 30 years,” Larese said. “If there is a business for it in Wheeling, then I would try to grow it to a Monday through Saturday operation.”

The residence is located on the corner of East Park Street and South Park Street. Visits to the Herbalife Nutrition Club would be quick, and it could draw up to two or three vehicles at the most at any given time.

Larese said since the home was previously a rental property, it already has two kitchens and two bathrooms as required by the Health Department for this type of business. She said the Health Department was expected to make additional suggestions upon approval of the Class II Home Occupancy Permit.

Wheeling Building and Planning Director Brenda J. Delbert said that the property would remain residential, and the permit would apply as a location for Herbalife Nutrition Club only.

“This is for this business model for this location,” Delbert said, noting that a Class II Home Occupancy Permit is for a home business in which people actually do come to the site. A Class I Home Occupancy Permit is for home businesses in which visitors do not come to the property.

Planning Commission members had a few questions about car counts and parking availability on the street, but few had concerns that the business would create problems in the residential neighborhood. Neighbor notices were sent out to inform residents about the proposal, and a legal ad was also placed to spread the word about the applicant’s plan.

A public hearing on the proposal was held, and two neighbors in attendance at Monday night’s meeting spoke on the record. They both indicated that they were curious to learn more about the proposal, and neither expressed concern about any negative impact on the neighborhood.

Members of the Wheeling Planning Commission gave unanimous support for the business, granting the Class II Home Occupancy Permit. Larese indicated that she planned to utilize social media to reach out to potential customers in the Wheeling area who may be interested in the Herbalife Nutrition Club.

In other action this week, the commission approved resolutions memorializing recent site plan approvals granted for developments in the city. Both resolutions – one for 2345 Chapline St. granting site approval for the YWCA of Wheeling’s $7 million re-entry facility development and for the 990 Mount de Chantal Road development of a new Wheeling Eye Care Center – were approved.

The Wheeling Planning Commission is expected to hold its annual reorganization meeting next month to select members to serve the next year as chair and vice chair of the commission.