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Weirton board approves Premium Guard conditional use for light manufacturing and distribution at 491 Park Drive
Summary
On Feb. 4, 2024 the Weirton Zoning Board of Appeals approved Premium Guard, Inc.'s request to allow light manufacturing and distribution at 491 Park Drive. CEO Anand Bishara said the site will be used first for distribution and will add about 100 jobs; the board approved the request by voice vote.
The Weirton Zoning Board of Appeals on Feb. 4 approved a conditional-use application allowing Premium Guard, Inc. to operate distribution and limited light manufacturing at 491 Park Drive.
Anand Bishara, chief executive officer of Premium Guard, told the board the company wants to use the building first as a distribution hub for North American customers and later for light manufacturing related to automotive and home air filters. "So it's very clean, neat," Bishara said, adding that the operation involves paper, media and filtration product that the company will "plate it, assemble it, package it, and ship it." He said the company has roughly a 30% market share in North America and sells to major retailers.
Why it matters: Board member Mark said filling the vacant building with a private owner will increase the local tax base and contribute to Weirton's TIF fund. Bishara told the board the project is expected to create about 100 jobs locally and estimated 3 to 4 truckloads a day for outbound distribution, which board members said would be similar to existing traffic on Route 21.
Board discussion focused on land-use classification and operational impacts. Mark noted that warehousing and distribution have long been permitted at Park Drive but that the added fabrication and assembly components elevate the proposal to light manufacturing, triggering the conditional-use review. Bill and other members asked questions about traffic and operations; Bishara emphasized the operation would be "no noise, no pollution" and framed the work as clean assembly and packaging.
The board voted on a motion to approve the conditional-use request. Mark moved to approve; Mike seconded. The board recorded the vote as "all in favor." The motion passed.
Next steps: The board's approval clears the conditional-use hurdle; any required building permits, inspections or state-level approvals for manufacturing processes would follow as needed.
