WHEELING — West Virginia Northern Community College cleared the first hurdle in planning a new park alongside Big Wheeling Creek near its campus.

On Tuesday, Wheeling City Council’s Development Committee approved the college’s request to abandon the section of 18th Street south of the B&O Building in order to build the park at a committee meeting Tuesday morning.

The college plans to incorporate the space into its campus with additional parking and greenspace through a potential Wheeling Creekside Park, said Tom Connelly, the city’s assistant director of economic and community development.

Northern owns the property on the south side of 18th Street on that block as well as the parking lot on the north side, Interim President Michael Koon said.

“What this would allow us to do is make the parking lot contiguous between the two sides,” Koon said. “More importantly, what this allows us to do is make some greenspace between the parking and the creek so that we can have some development in conjunction with the city.”

Mayor Glenn Elliott said he welcomes the idea, noting that city officials and the college have discussed it previously.

“This would be a nice way to actually welcome people to Wheeling Creek and provide pedestrian access to the creekside,” he said.

Connelly said the city heard no concerns about the matter, other than that the Fire Department uses the street to reach East Wheeling on a usual basis. Fire Chief and Acting City Manager Larry Helms said abandoning the section would result in a 30 second delay.

Closing the street section and creating a park would result in roughly the same amount of parking spaces that currently exist, Koon said.

The college now intends to begin the planning process for the park, he said, adding that the college and the city could partner on the project. The park could likely be completed sometime next year, Koon said.

“I think this is a nice addition and I appreciate the college’s willingness to work on this project,” Elliott said.

Also at the committee meeting, the body approved a lane abandonment of Alley A in Elm Grove. The adjacent property owners will now use the space as a shared driveway.

The committee additionally approved designations for the restaurant Country Roads BBQ and art gallery Clientele to sell beer at their establishments.

The use is allowed but council has the authority to deny it for businesses within 1,000 feet of residences, churches, schools and parks, Connelly said.

Country Roads plans to sell craft beer and support local breweries through the designated use, and Clientele plans to sell alcohol once or twice a month at events.