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Board grants variance for short-term bike parking at WVU Health facility with standard site conditions
Summary
The Board of Zoning Appeals approved a variance allowing West Virginia University Hospitals to install short-term bicycle racks slightly beyond the code’s 50-foot entrance requirement, citing site constraints and staff support.
The Morgantown Board of Zoning Appeals on May 21 granted a variance allowing short-term bicycle parking to be placed outside the code’s 50-foot distance-from-entrance requirement at a West Virginia University Hospitals facility.
Eric Wingler, representing West Virginia University Hospitals, said the proposed site layout cannot accommodate all code-required short-term bicycle spaces within the 50-foot radius of the primary entrance without impeding pedestrian access and other site circulation. Planning staff described a plan to provide eight short-term spaces in a location slightly outside the 50-foot requirement and said the applicant requested variance relief from section 13 65.04 for the remaining required short-term spaces.
Staff recommended approval and emphasized the site-specific constraints. Board members noted the site is campus-adjacent with limited dedicated bicycle lanes and concluded the proposed configuration is reasonable for the facility as shown on the site plan. One board member said the applicant could add more spaces later if use levels increase.
The board accepted staff findings and voted to grant the variance. Staff reminded the applicant that any other site modifications will need to comply with planning and engineering review and permitting. The board’s decision will be memorialized in a written notice to the applicant within seven to 10 business days; the decision is appealable to the Circuit Court of Montague County and work during the appeal period is at the applicant’s risk.
