WHEELING — After nearly 60 years of business in downtown Wheeling, Straub Honda-Hyundai is expected to move to The Highlands near Dallas Pike.
The business’ new location will be on Lot 9, which is on the south side of I-70 across from Cabela’s.
Straub will join the fellow longtime Wheeling car dealerships of Bob and Jim Robinson, who announced in 2007 plans to construct their own facilities at The Highlands.
“We are extremely excited about this, and are looking forward to doing business at The Highlands,” said Bryan Fato, general manager of the business currently located at the corner of 16th and Market streets in the Friendly City, on Wednesday.
Fato said the decision to relocate the dealership to The Highlands was a difficult one.
“Our manufacturers requested that we make a move to a more modern facility, and we will have excellent visibility at our new site. Downtown Wheeling has been very good to us over the years, but it is just our time to make a move,” he said.
Fato said there are currently no plans in place for the future of the dealership’s downtown facilities.
“It is just too early to say what we may do with these buildings,” he said.
Fato said his company would like to begin construction as soon as possible, but will have to wait for the Ohio County Development Authority to prepare the site.
“We would like to get started with our construction in April, but we know the county is still waiting for a permit to finish the earth work,” he said.
According to a public notice from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about Lot 9, the project calls for the filling and grading of a 12.5-acre site for the construction of a flat pad that will require portions of some small streams to be filled.
The project will require the cutting of 486,700 cubic yards of material and the discharge of 648,300 cubic yards of fill. Special attention to create and enhance a habitat for trout will be a priority of the work, according to the notice.
Ohio County Administrator Greg Stewart said he does not anticipate any problems with fulfiling the corps’ requirements for Lot 9. Stewart said he did not know when the permit would be approved. Some earth work has been conducted, though not related to the streams.
Meanwhile, Fato said he is ready to get to work on his new site.
“We are looking forward to many great years of business at The Highlands,” he said.
Article Photos
(Photo by Scott McCloskey)
Straub Honda-Hyundai, a staple among downtown Wheeling businesses for nearly 60 years, will join other car dealerships at The Highland’s in Ohio County. Straub’s will vacate its 16th and Markets streets location when construction is completed at the new site.