photo by: Eric Ayres

Members of the Wheeling Planning Commission, from left, William Schwarz, Jeremy West and Chrisina Schessler, review a stack of documents Monday related to a proposed Wash Rite Express Car Wash location on Mount de Chantal Road.

WHEELING — Members of the Wheeling Planning Commission by a majority vote on Monday night gave final site plan approval for the proposed Wash Rite Express Car Wash on Mount de Chantal Road.

Prior to Monday night’s meeting, the Wheeling Planning Commission had not met since August due to a lack of business.

The site plan approval for the Wash Rite Express Car Wash comes in the wake of a series of hearings that had taken place over the past year with officials from the national car wash chain trying to open a new location in one of the busiest areas of Wheeling.

Tempers had boiled over in July over the proposal, as Georgia-based businessman Roger Beck, owner of the Wash Rite Express Car Wash’s parent company, expressed frustration over the planning commission’s reluctance to support even a preliminary site plan for the venture — one that promises to bring a $5 million investment and a number of new jobs to the city.

Commission members had voiced concerns about bringing additional traffic to the same Interstate 70 exit and same road — Mount de Chantal — that serves as the sole access to the only hospital in the area, WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital. Some had also expressed concerns over storm water management in the area, where residents of the nearby Clator and Morningside neighborhoods have experienced storm sewer issues in the past.

After a traffic study was presented and a special meeting was scheduled for the matter in late July, preliminary site plan was approved by a majority vote. The city’s Water Pollution Control Division has also signed off on the company’s plan for storm water and wastewater management at the car wash.

Beck was again in attendance for Monday night’s meeting, along with Frank Deoring, owner/operator of the area Wash-Rite locations, and attorney Bill Wilmoth. The group brought stacks of plans, drawings, maps and other supporting documents related to their proposal.

“We’ve got a plethora of information here,” Wheeling Planning Commission Chairman Jeremy West said.

Brenda J. Delbert, director of the city’s Building and Planning Department, noted that the Wash Rite representatives had addressed every concern raised by the commission. Delbert said her department has issued a staff report recommending final site plan approval for the project.

“It is staff’s opinion that they have submitted everything we’ve asked for,” Delbert said. “Lighting, landscape, drainage — everything that we’ve had conversations about has been asked and answered.”

The proposed car wash is planned for construction just to the west of the I-70 bridge on a strip of land located between Mount de Chantal Road and the Wheeling Heritage Trail bike path. It is already zoned C-2 for commercial use. The planning commission has already given the green light on a plan from doctors with the Eye Care Center of Wheeling to build a new facility on an adjacent strip of land in this area.

Delbert explained that there are still steps the Wash Rite team has to make in order to be able to move forward with construction of the new car wash. Wash Rite Express Car Wash operates several other locations in the region, including sites in Moundsville, Steubenville, Wintersville and Weirton.

“Architectural and civil (engineering plans) still need to be approved,” Beck added.

The final site plan was approved by a majority vote, with all members of the planning commission who were in attendance Monday night — with the exception of Christina Schessler — voting to support the plan. Planning commission member Howard Monroe was not in attendance Monday.

Schessler, an architect by trade, on Monday night appeared to be critical of the plans as presented, raising questions about the location of the dumpsters and the route employees would have to walk to access the dumpsters.

Also during Monday night’s meeting, officials held somewhat of a reorganizational meeting. Members voted to have Michael Baum serve as the new chairman for this term and have fellow member William Schwarz continue as vice chairman. Baum will take over as chairman in December.

The Wheeling Planning Commission also approved a resolution memorializing the decision made on Aug. 11 granting site plan approval to 7Brew LLC for development of a new drive-thru coffee shop at 841 National Road.