MORGANTOWN — A zoning map amendment headed before the Morgantown Planning Commission would make just under 13 acres of the Industrial (I-1) zoning district that includes the Morgantown Municipal Airport available for housing development.
Included on the agenda for Thursday’s planning commission meeting is a zoning map amendment request by Cheat Road Engineering on behalf of ARJ LLC.
The request would change the zoning of three parcels totaling 12.92 acres from I-1 (Industrial) to R-3 (Multi-family residential). The largest of the three adjacent parcels is 9.59 acres and sits at the corner of Hartman Run Road and Everlasting Lane.
If approved, a change from I-1 to R-3 would allow – among a number of potential uses – mixed-use dwellings, single and multi-family dwellings, townhouses and mixed-use buildings to be constructed on the property by right. Dwellings are not permitted in an industrial zone.
While the zoning request is coming on behalf of ARJ, all three parcels are currently owned by the Monongalia County Development Authority.
A decade ago, the property was identified by the MCDA as the future home of the Morgantown Air Park, which was to be composed of three buildings, including a 53,000-square-foot multi-tenant office/industrial facility and a 10,000-square-foot business incubator building.
In 2016, former MCDA Executive Director Holly Childs said plans for the air park had been grounded due to development complications surrounding the Federal Aviation Administration and the land’s proximity to the airport.
The city of Morgantown and a representative of MCDA did not respond regarding the proposed zoning change in time for this report.
