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Warehouse Variance Approved For Panhandle Restoration During Wheeling Zoning Board Meeting

Parking Expansion Approval Upheld for Hawthorne Court

Photos by Shelley Hanson Wheeling Board of Zoning Appeals members, from left, Jason Smith, Ron Sinclair, Steve Johnston and Martin Maness listen during Thursday’s meeting.

WHEELING — The Wheeling Board of Zoning Appeals approved Thursday a variance that will allow Panhandle Cleaning and Restoration to move forward with plans to build a new warehouse to store its vehicles in South Wheeling.

And during an appeal hearing, the board upheld Assistant Director of Economic and Community Development Tom Connelly’s opinion that a Hawthorne Court family should be allowed to build a parking area off its driveway at 20 Hawthorne Court.

Board members Jason Smith, Ron Sinclair, Steven Johnston and Martin Maness unanimously approved the variances for Panhandle’s 3730 McColloch St. property. With approval, they granted reducing the required number of parking spaces from 15 to 0 because no one will be working inside the building. Reduction of setbacks from the property line also were approved from 15 feet to 10 feet on the side, and 15 feet to 5 feet at the alley.

Bob Contraguerro Jr., co-owner of Panhandle, said there will be no entry to the building at rear alley side of the building. The company wanted to reduce the setbacks so it could use as much of the land as possible. He said fire codes do not allow a setback of fewer than 10 feet between buildings.

With approval of the variance, Contraguerro said the company planned to order the warehouse and have it erected as soon as possible and as weather permits. Sinclair said the board would give Panhandle 18 months to build the warehouse.

After that time, it would have to apply for an extension.

A portion of that block, including Panhandle’s building area, was rezoned from residential to general industrial in April.

Regarding the parking expansion, a hearing was held because an appeal on Connelly’s decision was filed by another Hawthorne Court resident, Jennifer Jebbia, of 23 Hawthorne Court. Jebbia said she did not believe her neighbor’s planned 22-foot by 42-foot concrete pad would add to the beauty of the neighborhood. She conceded parking is a problem for some in the neighborhood, but she was concerned more people would start pouring concrete in their yards to make additional parking spaces.

“We shuffle cars in our driveway all the time,” Jebbia said. “We would not put a parking lot in our front yard just for convenience. … The right thing to do is to preserve the beauty of the neighborhood.”

Connelly said, according to the city’s regulations, it is OK for people to expand their parking off of existing driveways. The Huffman family share a driveway with a home beside them not occupied by Jebbia.

After some more discussion and questions, Sinclair made a motion to uphold Connelly’s recommendation.

“This seems to be an issue of aesthetics. … I don’t see any violation,” Sinclair said.

His motion was seconded and passed in a 3-1 decision with Smith as the lone “no” vote. Smith originally wanted to abstain from voting, but Connelly said he could only abstain if he had a conflict of a personal or financial nature. That’s when Smith changed his vote to “no.”

Jebbia said she was not surprised by the board’s decision, but she was glad her voice was heard.

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