A zoning map amendment that would allow for the future construction of up to 27 townhouses between Evans Street and Metro Towers is headed to Morgantown City Council with the support of the city’s planning commission.
The commission voted unanimously on Thursday to recommend approval of the rezoning request for 25 parcels spanning 9.3 acres from O-I (office and industrial) to R-3 (multifamily residential).
While that acreage includes the five existing Metro Towers apartment buildings, David Biafora, who submitted the application on behalf of Metro Towers LLC, explained the townhouses will be built on just under two acres on the other side of the apartment parking lot.
The homes would be accessed via Evans Street.
“It will not connect to Metro. It will be completely separate. The owners will be individual owners.” he said, adding that townhouses represent a needed middle ground between single family neighborhood homes and apartment living.
Richard Biafora, David’s nephew, explained further.
“We’re viewing this as a pretty good next step in connecting a newly developed downtown into Sunnyside; the developed Suncrest area up by the stadium and what is a developing middle section between Metro Towers and the law school,” Richard Biafora said.
He went on to explain sales of the townhouses would generate at least $7 million at $288,000 to $300,000 each while “providing clean, safe, reasonably affordable housing to own for law students, med students or professionals in the area that’s different than the typical rental.”
It was explained that the area was originally zoned R-3 and was the site of two dormitories. In the 90’s, it was rezoned to O-I to allow buildings on the property to be used for offices. When Metro Towers came to the city around 2012-2013, the city opted to grant a conditional use approval for the multi-family dwellings in the O-I zone instead of rezoning the property again.
Now, however, rezoning is necessary for this project as townhouses are not permitted, by right or conditional use, in an O-I zone.
Morgantown Development Services Director Rickie Yeager explained that if the project moves forward, it will be back before the planning commission seeking a development of significant impact site plan approval.
