Crews were on site this week putting the finishing touches on the $12.6 million Market Street Parking Garage project. Construction of the new downtown parking structure is expected to be completed around the first week of September. (Photo by Eric Ayres)

WHEELING – Work is winding down on the new Market Street Parking Garage in the city of Wheeling, with a finishing date anticipated for early next month.

Crews continued to put finishing touches on the new six-deck parking structure in the heart of downtown this week. Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron noted that the work should be wrapped up within the next couple of weeks.

“Completion is expected the first week of September,” Herron said.

Pittsburgh-based company Carl Walker Constructed was awarded a $12.6 million contract to build the parking garage. Ground was broken on the new parking structure in April of 2022, and it originally was slated for completion last year.

Despite a delay in the completion date from the original projection, Herron said work has gone very smoothly at the site.

“For the size and complexity of the project, it has gone well,” the city manager said. “This is a tribute to our architects, The Mills Group – led by Vic Greco, and the general contractor, Carl Walker Construction.”

While the general contractor is based in the Steel City, Herron noted that much of the work on the multimillion-dollar project has been completed by local tradespeople.

“It is also important to note that the vast majority of the subcontractors were from Wheeling,” Herron explained. “For example, the impressive concrete panels on the exterior of the building were made right here in Wheeling by Concrete Fabricators on North River Road.”

A total of 52 prefabricated concrete panels were installed on the exterior of the facility as one of the final pieces to the puzzle during construction. The facade helps the structure blend in with the neighboring downtown buildings.

Once opened, the new parking garage will be fully automated, will boast nearly 300 parking spaces, an elevator and electric car charging stations.

“Monthly parking rental is $60,” Herron said, noting that passes will be sold like those used by regular parking patrons at the 10th Street and Intermodal parking garages downtown. “Rentals now are monthly, same as the other structures.”

Crews were on site this week putting the finishing touches on the $12.6 million Market Street Parking Garage project. Construction of the new downtown parking structure is expected to be completed around the first week of September. (Photo by Eric Ayres)

Chunks of spaces are also expected to be sold to local businesses that need several slots for employees.

“We can set aside spaces for a set period of time,” Herron explained, noting that the city can enter into a contract with businesses for a certain number of parking spaces, like is the practice at the other downtown parking structures owned by the city. “In that case, the business pays regardless if the spots are used or not. And there will be short-term, transient parking, as well.”

If and when the proposed Wheeling-Pitt Lofts project takes place, there will be spaces available to future tenants of that nearby site – the former Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel headquarters on Market Street where a 12-story apartment complex project has shown no visible progress for nearly two years. The promise of a proposed $30 million investment by owner Access Infrastructure and developer Steve Coon of Coon Restoration and Sealants was used as a pitch to justify the city’s multimillion-dollar investment in a new parking garage, which was said to be a necessary component that would open the door to the private redevelopment of the city’s tallest building.

Coon could not be reached at his Canton-area offices for an update on the status of the Wheeling-Pitt Lofts project.

In order to finance the new Market Street Parking Garage construction, city council approved a bond ordinance for up to $19.5 million. Aside from construction costs, tax dollars used to make the parking structure come to fruition also involved costs for engineering and design of the facility as well as a $475,000 contract to demolish the former Chase Bank building, which previously stood vacant on the site at the corner of 11th and Market streets.

With the new parking garage nearing completion, city leaders have emphasized the need for downtown parking. It has been stressed that the structure will generate revenue from parking tenants and from retail spaces that will be available on the street level of the building.

“We currently do not have any tenants, as the building has been under construction,” Herron said. “In addition the Streetscape project has slowed the leasing process, both of which are short-term and will not impact our efforts to find the right tenant mix, once construction is complete.”

The city hired Century Realty as its marketing agent to find potential tenants for the 9,000 square feet of retail space that will be available on the lower level of the structure.

Crews were on site this week putting the finishing touches on the $12.6 million Market Street Parking Garage project. Construction of the new downtown parking structure is expected to be completed around the first week of September. (Photo by Eric Ayres)