The alleyway behind the West Virginia University Parkersburg’s Cosmetology School. (Photo by Gwen Sour)

PARKERSBURG — The city’s Municipal Planning Commission tabled a request Friday to abandon an alley adjacent to 211 Murdoch Ave. and 714 32nd St. so the petitioners could try a different approach.

The abandonment was requested by West Virginia University at Parkersburg on behalf of its cosmetology and esthetics program. WVUP President Torie Jackson said the goal is to improve safety and accessibility for students attending classes at the school’s Murdoch Avenue location.

“We’re seeing amazing success in this program; we actually have a waiting list, ” Jackson said. “At the front of the building, we have parking that is for clients who come in to have their hair or their nails done, and we have a parking issue for our students. …There’s a lot of activity on that alleyway that occurs with people just walking, and we also have a lot of people who hang out near the Dumpster there. … our students have to walk a little farther down to parking; we’re just trying to make a safer environment for that group of students.”

Jackson emphasized that no structures would be built over the alley and diagonal parking would simply back up to the closed area. She said a use agreement with a neighboring fireworks business for overflow parking is limited and unsustainable in the long term. Jackson also noted that the school purchased a residential property adjacent to the school with the hopes of demolishing and rezoning it for potential additional parking.

The plan was met with opposition from a few nearby property owners and residents.

WVUP President Torie Jackson addresses the Parkersburg Municipal Planning Commission on Friday afternoon in City Council chambers at the Municipal Building. (Photo by Gwen Sour)

“The alley provides a buffer between that commercial block on Murdoch and the residential neighborhood,” said Alisa Prince, a nearby property owner. “The alley also provides egress for Murdoch Avenue; we know the pinch points, construction, accidents that occur on Murdoch, and the alleys are helpful with that to keep Murdoch moving and so you can get home.”

City Planner Calaya Rake said a sewer line runs beneath the alley, making future maintenance access essential. Frontier Communications also has infrastructure in the area and indicated they would require compensation to relocate any utilities. The city’s Public Works and Engineering departments advised against the closure.

Commissioner John Reed expressed the commission’s support for local business growth but noted the importance of evaluating alternatives to the outright closure of the alleyway.

“What we want to try to do is help you guys accomplish what you’re trying to do. I just don’t think that’s the best solution,” he said. “I think the question is, could you go to the zoning board first and see if they would agree to rezone your current property?”

The property is zoned as residential in a manner that does not allow for commercial or business parking.

Parkersburg City Planner Calaya Rake discusses the potential utility concerns regarding an alley closure behind WVUP’s cosmetology school during Friday’s Municipal Planning Commission meeting. (Photo by Gwen Sour)

The Municipal Planning Commission tabled the request after representatives from WVUP agreed to submit a petition to the zoning committee for the residential property to be zoned to allow parking.

Gwen Sour can be reached at gsour@newsandsentinel.com