Now that the $12.3 million, six-level parking structure is complete and open on the corner of 11th and Market streets in downtown Wheeling, city officials are anxious to see what businesses will fill the 1,000 square feet of street-level space.
City Manager Bob Herron confirmed those conversations have started with new Mayor Denny Magruder and the city’s six council members meeting with representatives from Century Realty. Century Realty, located at 1233 Main Street in downtown Wheeling, is a marketing and recruiting firm that has worked with the city several times in the past.
“Now that we have a new mayor and council, we’ve met with Century Realty to talk about possibilities and direction,” explained Herron. “The building is complete, and it turned out great, so the street level is ready for whatever might go in there and there are a lot of ideas that have been tossed around.
“Our leasing agreement with Century expired so a proposed renewal will be on Council’s agenda in the very near future because it’s time to market the property to see what’s possible,” he said. “It’s a pretty large space that I believe could fit as many as three businesses depending on what they are. It all depends on who’s interested in coming to downtown Wheeling, but we’ve always imagined a small restaurant with outdoor dining there on the corner with other businesses in the other areas.”
The land where the new garage rests is where an Army-Navy Store and a Chase Bank once stood. The rendering of the structure that was released two years ago displays enough space for a few different businesses.
“There are a lot of options that Mayor (Denny) Magruder and the council members have to consider, like grocery, pharmacy, and some kind of retail would be great. We’re looking at restaurant possibilities, too,” Herron said. “It’s a big space with heigh ceilings so there will be those challenges, but everything is ADA accessible and it’s ready to market.
“It’s still gravel on the first floor, and that’s on purpose so the developers have access to all the utility lines so they can decide where they want kitchens and restrooms and things like that,” he explained. “We made the lines are big enough to handle anything, so we’ll just have to see what’s possible.”
Downtown Residential
The idea for the new parking garage originated when Steve Coon of Coon Restoration and Herron started a conversation about the possible transformation of the Schmulbach Building – also known as the former headquarters for Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel – into a 12-story residential property with more than 100 one- and two-bedroom loft apartments.
The building was purchased in 2015 by Dr. John Johnson, the owner of East Ohio Regional Hospital, and Coon and his crews have re-pointed most of the exterior of the building while gutting the inside of all debris and old furniture.
A part of the conversation between Coon and the City, though, included the construction of a new parking garage in close proximity to the “Wheeling-Pitt Loft” project. But, while the garage was under construction, no progress was made on the apartments because interest rates, Coon said, are far too high at this time.
“The garage has a total of 290 parking spaces on six levels, and 144 of them were supposed to be reserved for the residents of the apartments. I consider that project active and still very possible,” Herron said. “There has been a delay because of capital stack issues, but no one has told me it’s a dead project. The last I heard from (Steve Coon or Coon Restoration) is that it is active.
“But I believe we’ll sell those spaces if we have to because there is a demand for parking in that area,” he said. “And once the streetscape is completed and we get back to normal in downtown, I think even more people will park in the garage to get their vehicles off the street.”
The Health Plan Headquarters is nearby and so are a few businesses, including Williams Lea Tagg in the Stone Center, and the Wheeling Nailers and the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce do business in the Horne Building on Market Plaza.
So, there is the potential for new parking customers.
“We have seen a lot of development take place in our downtown, and now with a year left for the ($32 million) streetscape, I believe we’ll see even more,” Herron said. “With the Newbridge Center across from the Capitol Theatre, the proposed new hotel near Wesbanco Arena, and the other construction that’s taking place, we’ll have a new downtown pretty soon.
“It won’t be what it was, but it will be something new.”
I have lived in Wheeling most of my life, 77 yrs. We drove through town last week and was saddened to see how much we have lost. You can’t even buy a pair of shoes there. They keep saying come to town and enjoy all the new landscape, parking garages, insurance buildings, so-called empty nesters apartments. I have such wonderful memories of shopping downtown during the Christmas holidays and all year long. Those days as are gone.
Downtown Wheeling has not been what you reference for 30 years, and it certainly is different than it once was. Those memories are something to cherish, for sure, but not something to hold against today’s Wheeling. “They” are inviting you to see what has been developed since, and that includes Centre Market, Wesbanco Arena, the riverfront, and soon the new downtown Wheeling. It will be far more attractive than the dirty downtown we had back in the 1970s and 80s, and it will be far safer for pedestrians than it used to be, as well.
Please return to see the finished product in about a year, and have a great holiday season.