Lakewood Planning Commission Meeting – July 9, 2024

The Lakewood Planning Commission met on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, at 12650 Detroit Avenue. A pre-review was held at 5:30 p.m., followed by the regular meeting at 6:00 p.m. Commissioner McDermott participated remotely. The commission approved extended outdoor entertainment hours for Studio West 117, approved the Barry Buick mixed-use development with conditions, adopted Residential Architectural Design Guidelines, and deferred two Complete Streets measures to its August meeting. Commissioner Reese was excused.

Consent Calendar

• Roll call was taken; Commissioner Reese was excused by unanimous consent.
• The minutes of the June 6, 2024 meeting were approved, with one abstention recorded.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Fieldhouse at Studio West 117: Ralph Puneau, 1223 Madison, said he would not be directly affected but questioned what objective metrics would guide similar approvals for other bars. Christina Ward, 1430 Newman, described audible bass in her living room and multiple police calls, but said the past few weekends had been quieter and asked why no citations were issued. Councilwoman Cindy Marks Ward supported the business and its 2:30 a.m. hours but urged operators to keep music at neighbor-friendly levels and encouraged residents to call police.
• Barry Buick / Detroit Avenue: Beth Hefner, 1412 Rosewood Ave., praised the revised design and asked for approval. Councilwoman Cindy Streebig, Ward 3, praised the one-space-per-bedroom parking ratio and asked whether a pet relief area could be added on the south building to prevent pet waste in neighboring yards.
• Complete Streets: Daniel Zelinski, 2197 Northland, described a child-pet accident on his street and asked the commission to support a public forum for street redesign projects. Robert Organ, a Lakewood resident and Bike Lakewood supporter, urged the commission to recommend an ordinance rather than a resolution, saying an ordinance holds future administrations accountable and makes streets safer for all users.

Discussion Items

• Conditional Use – Fieldhouse at Studio West 117 (Docket 07-32-24): Joe Bass, general manager, presented the request to extend outdoor entertainment hours at 1384 Hird Ave. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 2:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday. He described decibel monitoring, staff training, and no citations since the last commission review. Staff reported more than 10 noise complaints since July 2023, none resulting in citations; four complaints occurred after the last review, one on June 2 and three on June 15. Staff recommended approval with the prior conditions, including immediate revocation if any noise citation is issued. The permit was set to expire the next day. Commissioners noted the venue is Lakewood's only rooftop bar and that the stakes are high.
• Old Business – Barry Buick Mixed-Use Development (Docket 06-19-24): Denverb Brooker of Vocon presented, noting the item had returned after the June discussion. Changes included parking reduced from 153 to 148 spaces, one curb cut each on Orchard Grove and Rosewood instead of two, continuous sidewalks, pedestrian paths through parking lots, a masonry site wall with benches along Detroit, and lighting shifted away from property lines with no light trespass. Staff recommended consideration of approval. Commissioners discussed a potential crosswalk across Detroit connecting the north and south buildings, a pet relief area on the south building, shared parking with the adjacent Huntington Bank parcel, and a vegetated buffer for the Cranford-facing parking spaces.
• Communication – Residential Architectural Design Guidelines (Docket 06-28-24): Planner Amanda Kramer and staff presented proposed guidelines to help the Architectural Board of Review apply terms like 'harmonious' and 'contextual' more objectively. The guidelines cover site design, building form, massing and scale, styles, roofs, porches, windows and doors, materials, and garages. Staff noted the document is not an HOA-style rulebook and is intended to give applicants and board members a shared framework. Commissioner Sanderson asked about a pre-litigation appeal or mediation step; staff explained that final board decisions can be appealed to the court of common pleas and that clearer guidelines reduce arbitrary decisions. The commission adopted the guidelines as presented.
• Communications – Complete Streets Initiative (Dockets 07-30-24 and 07-31-24): The commission considered Ordinance No. 11-2024 and Resolution No. 2024-42, referred by City Council on June 17, 2024. Councilman Kyle Baker, an ordinance co-sponsor, spoke in favor of the ordinance, arguing it creates an accountability structure and a public forum, and cited Cleveland's experience where a policy alone had little effect. City staff requested deferral to allow ongoing legal review and research into how similar ordinances function elsewhere. The commission deferred both items.

Key Outcomes

• Fieldhouse at Studio West 117: Motion to approve the conditional use for extended outdoor entertainment hours carried unanimously, subject to staff's recommended conditions, including immediate revocation of the permit upon any noise citation.
• Barry Buick Mixed-Use Development: Motion to approve carried unanimously with four conditions: (1) work with city engineering to provide a safe crosswalk connecting the north and south buildings to the extent possible; (2) work with the adjacent Huntington Bank parcel to designate a pet relief area and address maintenance; (3) evaluate future retail parking needs and a possible shared-use agreement with Huntington Bank; and (4) add a vegetated buffer to the Cranford-facing parking spaces.
• Residential Architectural Design Guidelines: Motion to adopt the guidelines as presented carried unanimously.
• Complete Streets Ordinance No. 11-2024 (Docket 07-30-24): Deferred to the August meeting by unanimous vote.
• Complete Streets Resolution No. 2024-42 (Docket 07-31-24): Deferred to the August meeting by unanimous vote.
• The meeting adjourned after these actions.