Lakewood Board of Building Standards / ABR / Sign Review Meeting – August 14, 2025

The Board of Building Standards, Architectural Board of Review, and Sign Review Board met on August 14, 2025, in the Lakewood City Hall Auditorium. The agenda listed a pre-review on August 7, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. and the review meeting at 5:30 p.m. The board took roll call, approved the July 10, 2025 minutes, and acted on sign, residential, commercial, and church-related applications. All votes were unanimous unless noted; Board member Smith was absent.

Summary Approvals (Sign Review)

• Docket No. 08-61-25 – 12218 Madison Ave., Aura Beauty: Approved with conditions that any window signage must return to the board for approval before installation and that sign band clearance be at least a 30-inch minimum for the proposed sign size.
• Docket No. 08-63-25 – 1616 W. 117th St., Fifth Third Bank: Approved with no conditions.
• Docket No. 08-65-25 – 15620 Detroit Ave., Wovensmart: Approved with the condition that only the window signage is approved; the proposed blade sign was not included in the approval.
• Docket No. 08-66-25 – 13705 Madison Ave., Be & Blossom: Approved with no conditions.

Old Business

• Docket No. 06-51-25 – 1070 Rosalie Ave.: Tabled at the property owner's request to work through a potential BCA process to realign the proposal.
• Docket No. 04-26-25 – 14414 Detroit Ave., Ethlete Lab Academy: Withdrawn by the applicant; the sign plan will be consolidated and resubmitted.
• Docket No. 03-21-25 – 15431 Edgewater Dr.: Approved as presented. The revised design adds front dormers for lake views, tucks failing box windows under the roofline, adds a gable over the front door, changes the siding to vinyl clapboard, replaces stone details with brick to match existing brick, and includes a new black garage door.

Sign Review New Business

• Docket No. 08-62-25 – 13611 Detroit Ave., King Hibachi: The applicant was not present. The board approved with conditions to remove the QR code, remove signage in the recessed store area, and keep windows unfrosted. Board members also questioned the presence of two phone numbers.
• Docket No. 08-67-25 – 15901 Hilliard Rd., CLE Smiles: Approved with a condition to eliminate one front window graphic to improve alignment. The proposed replacement monument sign is approximately 84 by 52 inches, stainless steel with internally lit acrylic push-through letters; window signage was about 14.5 square feet against an allowance of 22 square feet.
• Docket No. 08-64-25 – 11820 Detroit Ave., Confidence Med-Spa: Approved with the condition that the illuminated double-sided blade sign align vertically with the adjacent property's blade sign, roughly centered on the second-floor windows.

Architectural Board of Review New Business

• Docket No. 08-68-25 – 17510 Detroit Ave., St. James Church: Approved with a condition that ground-level upward lighting be submitted to the city for administrative approval. The applicant proposed a 35-foot aluminum flagpole on the southwest corner of the historic church property with American and Vatican flags; it is part of an Eagle Scout project.
• Docket No. 08-69-25 – 15711 Madison Ave., Lakewood Dental Associates: Approved with the condition that signage is not included in this approval. The facade renovation removes the existing glass/spandrel gable, reworks the stucco, adds canvas and metal awnings, relocates the dumpster to the rear, and adds a rear entrance awning. Staff noted the project may be eligible for the storefront renovation program offering up to $30,000.
• Docket No. 08-70-25 – 14523-27 Madison Ave., Sarita a Restaurant: Approved as presented for an additional shed awning on the east front of the building, matching existing materials and keeping a visual break between the two awnings.
• Docket No. 08-71-25 – 1586 Lakeland Ave.: Approved with conditions that the roof be asphalt shingles to match the existing roof, the existing foundation be maintained, and the open spindle railing alternate elevation be submitted to the city for the record.

Public Comments & Testimony

• For Lakewood Dental Associates, an emailed comment expressed mixed feelings: the writer supported reinvestment in the commercial corridor, but felt the proposed facade looked like a day spa and that neither the existing nor proposed concept acknowledged its context.
• For The View on Detroit East, adjacent neighbor Bob Neff asked about the proposed south-side fence and was told the wood fence would be six feet high. A former board chair emailed strong recommendations to revisit the 2021 ABR-approved proposal and not accept stamped stucco or faux brick simulating real brick.

Discussion Items

• Docket No. 08-72-25 – 13815 and 13901 Detroit Ave., The View on Detroit East: Deferred. The applicant team presented a revised mixed-use project with residential units, ground-floor commercial/lobby space, parking, and extensive landscape and material changes aimed at knitting the East End and downtown. The project had been approved at the May 13, 2021 meeting and was being re-reviewed. Board members raised concerns about ground-floor residential units directly on a commercial corridor, the proposed tall planters reading as a temporary wall or fortress, a lack of integrated pedestrian features, the amount of parking, and the need for dog relief areas, street-side bike racks, and more robust landscaping. Several board members stated concerns or opposition to the proposed EFIS faux-brick material, citing Lakewood commercial design guidelines that list stucco/EFIS as inappropriate and noting the project would set a precedent. The applicant said EFIS is necessary for project feasibility, offered to provide a mock-up, and noted the project could not move forward with thin brick. The board deferred rather than approving or denying, asking for further design study, alternatives, or justification.

Key Outcomes

• Approved minutes of the July 10, 2025 meeting unanimously.
• Approved four summary sign-review items and all listed old/new business items, several with conditions.
• Tabled 1070 Rosalie Ave. and accepted withdrawal of Ethlete Lab Academy.
• Deferred The View on Detroit East; applicant to return with revised materials, planter/facade treatments, and responses to board feedback.