Lakewood Planning Commission Meeting - August 7, 2025

The City of Lakewood Planning Commission met on Thursday, August 7, 2025, at 12650 Detroit Avenue. The agenda included a pre-review meeting at 5:30 p.m., followed by the regular meeting at 6:00 p.m. Opening remarks noted that the commission has five volunteer members appointed to five-year terms by the mayor and city council and that public comment is limited to five minutes per person. The commission considered four new-business docket items and adjourned at 6:33 p.m.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the minutes of the regular meeting of Tuesday, July 8, 2025; Commissioner McDermott abstained.
• Approved the minutes of the April 28, 2025 joint meeting of the Planning Commission and Committee of the Whole; Commissioner LePoint abstained.
• Approved the minutes of the June 30, 2025 joint meeting of the Committee of the Whole and Planning Commission.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public comments were offered. The commission opened public comment for the Northcoast Apartments docket item and closed it after no one came forward; no public comment is recorded for the other docket items.

Discussion Items

Lot Consolidation - Docket No. 08-26-25 (15801 Detroit Ave. / 1408 + 1412 Rosewood Ave.)

• Applicant Lakewood Detroit LLC, represented by Anthony Maione of Langan Engineering, requested approval to consolidate three parcels (PPNs 313-25-011, 313-25-056, and 313-25-0055) in the C3 Commercial Business district under Section 1155.06.
• Engineering review was still pending. Commission discussion identified an old deed reference on former sub lot 91 to a 35-foot building setback and an 8-foot side yard setback that conflicted with current construction; the applicant confirmed the title matter had been cleared. The commission also discussed the timing of recording the plat while a house used as a field office remained standing, and left the recording timing to the applicant's discretion.
• The commission approved the lot consolidation pending engineering review, with a recommendation that the obsolete setback references be removed from the plat if they are no longer a matter of title.

Mixed Use Overlay - Docket No. 08-27-25 (Northcoast Apartments, 11730 Detroit Ave.)

• Applicant Milan Milasinovic presented an adaptive-reuse project for a roughly 100-year-old building: about 12 residential apartments and a ground-floor bakery/cafe that would serve pastry, bread, and light lunch and would not serve alcohol. This would be the first residential use in the building. The mixed-use overlay was needed because the standard multifamily code prohibits dwelling units on the ground floor and requires setbacks better suited to new construction rather than adaptive reuse.
• Staff noted the project was also going through the Architectural Board of Review for exterior renovations and recommended approval contingent on ABR approval.
• Parking was the main development-standard issue. For 12 multifamily units, the code requires a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 24 spaces. The 1,900-square-foot retail space falls under the 2,500-square-foot threshold requiring no off-street parking. The applicant reported an agreement for 13 spaces with the owner of 11801 Detroit Ave., plus a possible option for municipal permit spaces about one block away.
• Commissioners asked about ground-floor residential units near a parking lot/loading dock and the area's nightlife. The applicant said the building is structurally sound, the west wall replacement is budgeted, the loading dock is low-frequency, and windows would be soundproofed as much as possible.
• The commission voted to approve the mixed-use overlay with a condition that at least 12 spaces for the residential units be secured within 600 feet of the project at all times.

Mixed Use Overlay - Docket No. 08-28-25 (The View on Detroit East, 13901 Detroit Ave.)

• This item, listed with Ron Tannenbaum of RDL Architects as applicant, was tabled before testimony. The chair stated she would abstain from motions on this item, and Commissioner McDermott also abstained. The motion to table until further notice carried.

Designate as Historic - Docket No. 08-29-25 (Franklin School of Opportunity, 13465 Franklin Blvd.)

• The Lakewood Heritage Advisory Board requested a deferral to allow more time to prepare the historic designation and to communicate with the pending property owner, identified as Interpiece Cleveland, which was expected to close later in August. The board hoped to coordinate the designation with a zoning application and return together in September.
• The commission voted to grant the deferral.

Key Outcomes

• All three sets of minutes were approved, with abstentions on the July 8 and April 28 minutes.
• Docket 08-26-25 lot consolidation was approved pending engineering review, with the setback-reference recommendation.
• Docket 08-27-25 mixed-use overlay was approved with a 12-space/600-foot parking condition.
• Docket 08-28-25 was tabled until further notice.
• Docket 08-29-25 historic designation was deferred, with the expectation of returning in September.
• The meeting adjourned at 6:33 p.m.