Lakewood City Planning Commission Regular Meeting - June 6, 2024

The Lakewood City Planning Commission met on June 6, 2024, beginning at approximately 11:15 AM (the meeting was called to order in the evening based on the transcript). The commission heard and acted on several items including conditional use permits for outdoor dining and adult-use marijuana dispensaries, a major road rehabilitation project, a mixed-use development, a bank drive-through, and a residential planned development. The meeting was attended by commissioners LePoint, McDermott, Reese, Sanderson, and Chair; Ms. Gall was excused.

Consent Calendar

• Excused absence for commissioner Gall was approved unanimously.
• Minutes from the May 2, 2024 meeting were approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Peppers Restaurant (Outdoor Dining): No public comment was offered. Commissioner LePoint raised a condition about coordinating sunshade anchoring with the building department.
• Blue Cafe (Outdoor Dining): No public comment. The application was approved without discussion.
• GTI Ohio LLC / RISE (Adult-Use Dispensary, Detroit Avenue): One written public comment was received regarding traffic and parking. No in-person public speakers. The applicant stated they would coordinate with adjacent businesses.
• GTI Ohio LLC / RISE (Madison Avenue): No public comment.
• Bunts Road Rehabilitation Project: Multiple public comments were heard. Shannon Mortland (2125 Bunts) expressed opposition to both alternatives, citing safety concerns, inadequate notification to residents, and the impact of tree removal. Matt Herberger (1448 Bunts) strongly opposed the project, stating the notification letter was insufficient and that residents would move if the 10-foot shared-use path was built. David Minet (1315 Bunts) supported the project but raised concerns about parking placement and pedestrian access. A later commenter criticized the project for not being worried about traffic compared to the marijuana store.
• Barry Buick Development (Mixed-Use Overlay): Several neighbors spoke. Beth Hefner (1412 Rosewood) expressed reluctant support, noting her house would be torn down. Bill Sche (1368 Broccoli) expressed concerns about parking proximity, drainage, and privacy. Elizabeth Jurin (1436 Rosewood) generally favored the project but worried about height, parking, and loss of historic materials. Dr. Jerry Lamendola (15810 Detroit) and Mark Zodie (1418 Orchard Grove) both argued that parking was insufficient and traffic would be problematic.
• Huntington Bank (Drive-Through Conditional Use): Mark Zodie (1418 Orchard Grove) asked questions about lighting, drainage, and tree preservation.
• Donald/Thoreau Planned Development: Jonathan Levine (1315 Donald Avenue) adamantly opposed the project, citing flooding risks, loss of trees, and incompatibility with the neighborhood. Tom Taylor (1299 Donald Avenue) echoed concerns, arguing the townhouses did not fit the 125-year-old neighborhood and would create traffic cut-throughs.
• Shady Cove Town Homes (Lot Split): No public comment was offered.

Discussion Items

• Peppers Restaurant Conditional Use (12405 Detroit Avenue): Applicant Andy Luckman presented the same outdoor dining setup as last year but without planter boxes. Staff noted the need for a 48-inch minimum pedestrian clear path and that sunshade bolting must be reviewed by the building department. The motion to approve was passed with conditions: 48-inch clear path and building department review of sunshades. Motion carried unanimously.
• Blue Cafe Conditional Use (15719 Madison Avenue): Applicant presented outdoor seating with tables and chairs. Staff had no issues beyond maintaining pedestrian access. Approved unanimously.
• GTI Ohio LLC / RISE Conditional Use for Adult Use (Detroit Avenue): John Oberly (Green Thumb Industries) requested a revision to the existing conditional use permit to allow adult-use sales following council's zoning change. The commission discussed conditions including a security plan for the Madison property, a traffic management plan, and coordination with adjacent businesses. The motion to approve included three conditions. Carried.
• GTI Ohio LLC / RISE Conditional Use (Madison Avenue): Similar request. Applicant stated they had already spoken to neighbors about parking. Conditions mirrored Detroit location (security plan, traffic management plan, coordination). Carried unanimously.
• Bunts Road Rehabilitation Project (Communication from Administration): The city presented two alternatives: Alternative 1 (a 10-foot shared-use path with parking on the west side) and Alternative 2 (unbuffered bike lanes). Staff emphasized that the project is driven by the Active Transportation Plan and aligns with city goals for safety and infrastructure replacement. The project includes replacing water mains, separating combined sewers, adding new street lighting, and improving intersections. Commissioner and public discussion focused on tree removal (179 trees impacted in Alternative 2, fewer in Alternative 1), parking, traffic during construction, and the appropriateness of the shared-use path vs. bike lanes. Commissioners expressed a range of opinions: Sanderson preferred Alternative 2, Reese and Chair strongly favored Alternative 1, LePoint suggested a hybrid. The commission voted to recommend Alternative 1 to the administration, with the condition that if Alternative 1 proves unfeasible, Alternative 2 be fully evaluated. The recommendation carried.
• Barry Buick Development (Mixed-Use Overlay Request): Denver Brooker (Vocon) presented a 124-unit residential project with two four-story buildings (north and south) on the former Barry Buick site. The north building includes ground-floor retail; the south building is entirely residential with a lobby. The project requires a mixed-use overlay. Commissioners and staff raised several concerns: the south building's first-floor residential units should be treated architecturally to have a more commercial feel; parking and traffic management plans must be submitted; pedestrian circulation should be improved; the parking lot circulation using public rights-of-way (Cranford and Orchard Grove) is problematic; and coordination with the adjacent Huntington Bank project is needed. The commission voted to defer the item to a future meeting to allow the applicant to address these issues.
• Huntington Bank (Conditional Use for Drive-Through at 16003 Detroit Avenue): Austin Hahn presented a new bank building with a drive-through and a drive-up ATM. The only item within the commission's purview is the drive-through conditional use (the parking plan review and variance for excessive parking will come later). The commission approved the conditional use with conditions: that the design comply with commercial district design guidelines, that the egress drive on Orchard Grove be coordinated with the adjacent Barry Buick development, and that pedestrian connections be improved. The approval is contingent upon a future parking plan review.
• Planned Development (Donald/Thoreau Avenues): Paul Beegan presented a concept for a 11-unit residential development (single-family homes and townhouses) on a parcel adjacent to railroad tracks. The commission treated this as a workshop. Concerns included flooding, tree preservation, the proposed 16-foot road (which may encourage cut-through traffic), and the height of the townhouses. Commissioners suggested eliminating the road in favor of a shared-use path and flipping the layout to have the townhomes front the path. The item was tabled to allow the developer time to study options.
• Shady Cove Town Homes (Lot Split at 12534 Lake Avenue): Greg Soltis requested a lot split to create individual fee-simple townhome lots on a multifamily zoned property. The commission approved the lot split contingent on the final plat reflecting engineering review comments.

Key Outcomes

• Peppers Restaurant: Conditional use approved (unanimous) with conditions for 48-inch pedestrian path and building department review of sunshades.
• Blue Cafe: Conditional use approved (unanimous).
• GTI (Detroit): Conditional use approved (unanimous) with three conditions: security plan, traffic management plan, and coordination with adjacent businesses.
• GTI (Madison): Conditional use approved (unanimous) with the same three conditions.
• Bunts Road Rehabilitation Project: The commission voted to recommend Alternative 1 (shared-use path) to the city administration, with Alternative 2 as a fallback if Alternative 1 proves unfeasible. The recommendation carried.
• Barry Buick Development: Deferred to a future meeting (motion carried) to allow applicant to address concerns about first-floor residential design, parking circulation, pedestrian access, and coordination with the bank project.
• Huntington Bank: Conditional use for drive-through approved (unanimous) with conditions related to commercial design guidelines, Orchard Grove egress coordination, and pedestrian connections. Future parking plan review required.
• Donald/Thoreau Planned Development: Tabled (motion carried) for further study and design revision.
• Shady Cove Town Homes: Lot split approved (unanimous) contingent on final plat reflecting engineering comments.