MORGANTOWN – Contrary to the recommendations of both the Monongalia County Planning Commission and the West Virginia Division of Highways, the Monongalia County Commission approved an amendment to the West Run Planning District Zoning Map for seven parcels near the intersection of West Run and Stewartstown roads.
The commission considered the issue during a Friday special meeting called in order to comply with the 60-day review deadline imposed by West Virginia Code 8A-13-2.
The zoning change, requested by MRI Properties LLC and Glenmark Holding LLC, will convert the current Mercury Storage site and five neighboring parcels to the west – roughly 5.1 acres total – from low density residential (R-1) to general commercial (C-2).
The issue is not one of zoning consistency, per se.
During the planning commission’s deliberations, it was noted the request is in line with the intent of Monongalia County’s comprehensive plan, which identifies the property within a desired “growth” area. Further, planning staff noted that the current R-1 zoning appears out of line with current uses, thereby imposing a burden on existing properties and uses.
The rub from both the planning commission and DOH perspective is one of infrastructure – particularly West Run Road.
The zoning modification could “greatly change the intensity of use allowed” along a narrow section of a failing road already identified by the Monongalia Morgantown Metropolitan Planning Organization as the most dangerous section of roadway in the county, based on crash data.
County Planner Andrew Gast-Bray pointed out that while the comprehensive plan anticipates future growth, it also “expects that the infrastructure either is there or will be there sufficient at the time to serve the new zone.”
Gast-Bray also explained that efforts to find agreeable solutions to concerns raised by planning staff were greatly hampered by the timelines imposed by state code and the desire of the applicant to move forward with the application as presented.
Given the information at hand, and considering the potential uses allowable in a C-2 zone, both planning staff, and ultimately the planning commission, recommended denial based insufficient infrastructure.
An email from Michael Davis, representing DOH District 4, supported that decision, stating, “… changing the land use without improving West Run Road itself is not recommended.”
“And I would also add that the No. 1, by far, reason to not approve a map amendment is the lack of the infrastructure being there,” Gast-Bray said. “All but, I think, one of the denials of map amendments in our history with the West Run Zoning Ordinance have been to that effect.”
In response, Mark R. Nesselroad, representing Glenmark, pointed to previous decisions of the planning commission, including the 4-3 vote last August to approve a development of significant impact site plan for the Mallard Greene and Mallard Terrace apartment buildings across from The Villages at West Run.
That project will consist of two buildings totaling 36 two-bedroom and 40 one-bedroom units on 2.5 acres of land.
He also noted the commission’s approval of a site plan for Sunflower Village, a proposed development of 108 townhomes on 12 acres at the corner of West Run and St. Clair Hill roads – a stone’s throw from Mallard Greene.
Those projects are located in a high-density residential district (R-4) zone already established in the West Run Planning District.
Nesselroad noted Glenmark’s current plans for the property in question include one or more commercial flex buildings. A rendering shown during the meeting was of a single-story building with four bay doors.
“I can tell you, the traffic that is generated by that building, or four of those buildings … doesn’t come close to the traffic that’s generated by Mallard Greene by itself, let alone all three of those projects, and the planning commission approved that and said the road was suitable,” he said. “I don’t understand why we’re being singled out.”
Further, Nesselroad said he feels the entire conversation is premature.
“I fully understand that we will have to come before the county planner and the planning commission to get approval for our DOH permit, for our site plan, and all of those kinds of things that these guys were doing. But that’s not where we are. We’re not asking to build a building today. We’re not asking to build a single building on this property. We’re asking for it to be rezoned, and that’s it. If that happens and it gets rezoned, and you all approve that application, then at some point we will come before the county planning commission and ask for the same thing. And they will have every opportunity to put all kinds of conditions or anything they want.”
Asked for clarification, county planning staff indicated that additional scrutiny would be part of a potential site plan review, but the conditions the planning commission could impose vary greatly depending on the size of the project.
While members of the commission agreed that West Run Road is “the worst,” and they don’t necessarily want to see additional traffic without road improvements, they felt comfortable that the request was in line with the county’s comprehensive plan and that additional consideration would come with any development plan presented by the applicant.
“This is step one. All we’re dealing with is, is it consistent with the adopted plan and the zoning? We are only ruling on the zoning. In that sense, I’m going to support it because there are things in place that can be looked at,” Commission President Tom Bloom said.
According to information from the DOH, a widening project for the section of West Run Road between Stewartstown and Van Voorhis roads is currently anticipated to begin construction in the 2031 fiscal year.
