Gambling on the Future: Council approves Island redevelopment amid community concerns
Larry Lewis, owner of Bogey’s Carryout, can move forward with a convenient store with gambling machines after a heated month’s long council debate.
WHEELING ISLAND – The Wheeling City Council unanimously approved a request for a redevelopment project on Zane Street on Wheeling Island that will see a former WesBanco drive thru transformed into a convenient store and a small gambling parlor.
The site, purchased by Valley Grove resident Larry Lewis, will be a Bogey’s Carryout. Lewis owns 15 similar locations throughout the region, including two in Wheeling. He approached the Wheeling Development Committee in November requesting an exemption from a local ordinance that bans gambling parlors located within 1,000 feet from a church, school, park, residence, or a similar gambling establishment.
The proposed redevelopment site is located near Madison Elementary School, several residences, and at least a dozen similar gambling establishments.
Councilor Ben Seidler, who lives on and represents the Island, voiced concerns about admitting a new video lottery establishment in the neighborhood, but said during a November council meeting that he was given assurances that the location would include a convenient store.
The measure had been tabled on Nov. 19, but councilors voted on Dec. 3 to restart debate.
Speaking during the Dec. 3 council meeting, Seidler said he would normally be against approving another gambling parlor on the Island, “but one of the biggest needs on Wheeling Island that I’ve heard for seven or eight years is the need for a convenience type of carryout store.”
As it stands, Wheeling Island does not have a location that sells basic grocery items, like eggs, milk, or bread. The closest access to groceries are in Martins Ferry, Ohio, or mainland Wheeling.
“We have a large population of people that are not driving–that walk. We have a lot of folks…that are put into a really bad spot to get to a grocery store,” Seidler said. After several meetings with Lewis, including tours of his other Wheeling locations, Seidler said he is confident that the site would contain a convenient store.
Lewis spoke briefly to the council, assuring members that the location would have a cold deli, as well as convenient store items such as milk, bread, eggs, frozen food, beverages, and snacks. The property, expected to be roughly 2,000 square feet, would include just 300 square feet of lottery space.
Wheeling Island resident Shawn Viles says he supports a convenient store, but says he is “on the fence” about the location having a backroom gambling room referencing the neighborhood as ‘Addiction Alley.’
“I’m opposed to having any more gambling joints on the Island,” Viles said. “We have 14 [gambling parlors] in a three block radius. That’s a lot…Enough’s enough.” Viles went on to state the Island’s potential was being wasted by the city.
Courtney Droginske, Wheeling Island Community Association president, said she opposed the gambling parlor portion of the proposed Bogey’s Carryout due to its location near similar businesses.
“I want you to think about any other neighborhood in Wheeling where there are 13 places to gamble within a two mile radius,” Droginske said. “You can’t. Now think about your neighborhood. I’m not sure anyone would ever be okay with even five gambling parlors in your neighborhood, let alone thirteen.”
Droginske, who was born in Wheeling and raised on the Island, said she chose to stay in her hometown because she was a “strong believer” in the comeback of Wheeling. She said she supports the convenient store portion of the proposed business and that any approval given by the council should include a guarantee that it will be fulfilled.
After public comments, Seidler asked City Solicitor Rosemary Humway-Warmuth to confirm if guarantees existed to ensure the proposed business would become a convenient store. Humway-Warmuth stated that all planning and discussion of the project is part of the public record and the council’s approval would constitute a legal agreement.
“Based upon the information provided, if the city council votes to approve [the request] then that is what needs to materialize,” the city solicitor said. “If it wouldn’t, it’s like any other hearing…there would be injunctive relief that we would seek in the Circuit Court of Ohio County to enforce the agreement.”
If the business is constructed as a standalone gambling parlor, Humway-Warmuth said the city would seek a court order to shutter it.
Ultimately, councilors adopted the ordinance by a vote of 7-0. Lewis, with the approval of the city, can move forward with the redevelopment project as presented to the council.