MORGANTOWN — WVU Hospitals’ new four story, 152,000 square-foot eye institute will ultimately be built at the corner of Van Voorhis Road and Elmer Prince Drive.
But the groundwork is being laid on Spruce Street, in Morgantown City Hall.
In a one-week stretch concluding Thursday, the project will have had action items before the Morgantown Planning Commission, Morgantown City Council and the Morgantown Board of Zoning Appeals.
During its most recent regular meeting, the planning commission unanimously approved a development of significant impact site plan for the project, as well as a consolidation of project parcels
The commission also recommended Morgantown City Council sign off on a zoning map amendment that would rezone the property upon which both the new eye institute and adjacent 1,000-space parking garage will be constructed to B-2 (Service Business District). The land is currently a mix of B-2, O-I (office and institutional) and R-1 (single-family residential.)
When Morgantown City Council meets this evening, it will consider adopting a memorandum of understanding between WVU Hospitals and the Morgantown Building Commission that would allow for a minor land swap that will relocate the road providing access to the Morgantown Fire Department’s North Side Fire Station and make it part of the eye institute’s expanded entrance/exit off of Van Voorhis Road.
The expansion of that access will include a dedicated fire lane for the MFD.
Planning Commission Chairman Peter DeMasters noted that access will be located between to existing traffic lights.
“How close is that main entrance going to be to the existing traffic lights, and how long until we need a traffic light there,” he asked. “That’s beyond our scope, but if that becomes the main access point, that’s the concern I have.”
Morgantown Developmental Services Director Rickie Yeager said a traffic study has been conducted and additional traffic lights were not among the recommendations.
“For now,” DeMasters responded.
Later this week, the city’s board of zoning appeals will take up a number of variance relief requests tied to the project including setback requirements, loading requirements, bicycle storage, shared parking facilities and off-site parking facilities.
The eye institute/parking garage has an estimated cost of $233.5 million and is expected to take up to 30 months to complete.
