Lakewood Planning Commission Meeting – September 4, 2025: Mixed-Use Overlay, Historic Designation, Similar Use, and Parking Exceptions
Lakewood Planning Commission Meeting – September 4, 2025
The Lakewood Planning Commission held a regular meeting on Thursday, September 4, 2025, at 6:00 PM in the Auditorium of City Hall (12650 Detroit Avenue), preceded by a pre‑review session at 5:30 PM. The commission considered five docket items: a mixed‑use overlay, a historic property designation, a determination of similar use, and two parking plan reviews. Staff presented detailed information on each item, and the commission discussed the proposals without taking final votes during the recorded portion of the meeting.
Discussion Items
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Mixed Use Overlay (Docket 08‑28‑25) – 13815 and 13901 Detroit Ave. (The View on Detroit East)
Applicant Ron Tannenbaum (RDL Architects) requested approval of a mixed‑use overlay to allow first‑floor residential units in the C3 Commercial Business district. The project originally received approval in 2020 but lapsed after 12 months without action. The site plan—unchanged from 2020—includes two buildings (west and east) with a total of 120 dwelling units and 140 parking spaces (exceeding the minimum of one space per unit but not by an extreme margin). The buildings are 44 feet high, well within the C3 height limit. No variances or setbacks are required. The 2020 conditions of approval (e.g., maximum four stories, minimum 1,500 sq ft of ground‑floor commercial space, enhanced landscaping buffers, stormwater BMPs) were highlighted as relevant. Staff noted that the traffic generation analysis from 2020 remains valid and shows fewer than 100 new trips; no additional traffic study is warranted. The commissioner recused himself from this item. -
Designate as Historic (Docket 08‑29‑25) – 13465 Franklin Blvd. (Franklin School)
The Lakewood Heritage Advisory Board recommended designation of Franklin School as a historic property pursuant to Chapter 1134. The commission held a subsequent hearing and was asked to consider consent for designation, which affects the number of votes required (three or four). The property must meet criteria of a high degree of historic integrity and internal historic cohesiveness. Staff reminded the commission that any future exterior changes would be subject to the Secretary of the Interior’s standards and any guidelines the commission sets. -
Determination of Similar Use (Docket 09‑30‑25) – 13465 Franklin Blvd. (Inner Peace)
Samuel V. Diaquila (AMSR LLC) sought a determination that the proposed use of Franklin School as an educational facility for individuals with disabilities is similar to a “secondary school” use under C4 zoning. The applicant will use existing classrooms (15–20 students each) and the gym, with a fleet of 10 to 15 vans to transport students. On‑site parking consists of 80 spaces, including 25 for employees and 44 remaining after parking the vans. Staff argued the use is “remarkably similar” to a school and that parking demand is low because most students arrive via van or parent drop‑off. The general standards for conditional uses apply; staff expressed comfort with compatibility. -
Parking Plan (Docket 09‑31‑25) – 1205‑07 Warren Rd. (three‑family home)
& Parking Plan (Docket 09‑32‑25) – 1209‑11 Warren Rd. (two‑family home)
Both applications, submitted by James Provost (PE Limited), requested approval of a parking plan that does not include a new garage and instead proposes a pervious surface (geopave system). Staff outlined a history: the property owner demolished the garages in 2022 after signing a memorandum to rebuild within six months, failed to do so, received correction notices in October 2024 and June 2025, then submitted plans for garages in July 2025 that required corrections, and finally applied for an exception. Staff noted that few homes in the area lack garages and that if financial feasibility is a concern, a shed could be built for storage. The commission briefly discussed whether gravel driveways qualify as pervious surfaces; staff did not believe so, and the applicant would need to confirm approval for the proposed surface.
Key Outcomes
- Mixed‑Use Overlay: Staff recommended approval subject to the conditions from the 2020 approval. No vote is recorded in the transcript.
- Designate as Historic: The commission discussed the criteria and the need for consent designation. No decision was captured.
- Similar Use Determination: Staff supported compatibility with a secondary school use. The commission discussed but did not vote.
- Parking Plan Exceptions: The commission heard the owner’s history and the staff’s position that a garage should have been built. No vote is noted.
- The meeting concluded with the statement “All right. So papers are allowed,” possibly referring to the parking plan materials. No formal adjournment time is provided.
Meeting Transcript
Already I'll just gun through the go through these here. Um we got the five things on the agenda. If you want um we could do the designated historic and the similar use together or separate. And then the two parking plan reviews, same property owner, adjacent homes, same applicant. So we could probably hear those together. Um the first one. Okay, yeah, that's I know Sean's got a recuse himself from the first one. So view on Detroit. Mixed use overlay. Um I don't think anyone on the commission was here in 2020 when this was approved last. Um treating it, I mean, I'm I have been treating it as basically a new application, even though they are leaning heavily on, I mean, they basically, from what I understand, they basically the DGRIMO, the new developer just came in and took the plans from the last time, like the last approval, everything. So there is there's history behind this, there's history of approval behind this. Um just been working with them to get updated documents. Nothing, nothing has changed uh in in the macro sense. ABR is working through some material changes and things on the outside. But it's been over 12 months. Anytime at 12 months, the conditional use and overlay, if you haven't acted on it, it's it's void. Um so mixed use, really the only reason again why it's coming here for mixed use is because they're proposing first floor residential. It's one of those things that adds another step that probably shouldn't be a step, but that's that's zoning refresh uh stuff that we're working through. But it is the old Spitzer um dealership site. Uh so basically between Wyandotte, Parkwood, and then Bunts. Um so Bruce's automotive hanging on the corner there at Bunts and Detroit. He's nothing's changing about his property except he's gonna lose the overflow parking that he uses, which I don't think is his property. So it's all C3, so same zoning district. Um I'm gonna let them present their package. They do have an I'm gonna ask them when they get here. I assume they're gonna want to present the most up-to-date one that they just gave ABR. Um it's a full, so we can be kind of selective and moving them through the just to really focus on the things that we need to focus on. Um if you're all familiar with mixed use overlay, provide some flexibility with some regulations uh for predominantly commercial and residential. Um has to have one or more of the following advantages. Um I think the ones that a lot of these is just that achieving that first floor residential mixed use with with having some commercial um in there, pedestrian scale, proper buffers and transitions, especially in this area. There's a little different residential one street, uh, Wyandotte has the typical like three-story Lakewood homes. Parkwood has more of the two-story, it's like a it's almost like it was built at a totally different time. Um it's all down to the for us, it's the development standards, so yard and setback requirements, height limitations, parking requirements, and if you want to discuss open space landscaping, it's in there. Um we'll get into parking. It's again, it's it's just like the same standards as Barry Buick, multifamily one space per dwelling unit, max of two per dwelling unit. And most of the time with these mixed uses, the commercial spaces are under 2500 square feet anyways, they don't need any additional parking. Um then like I would like to highlight on this for the setbacks, the heights, all of those things. Just under mixed use overlay, the commission does have that latitude for a little bit of flexibility, although I will say they went with the the past kind of size and massing and everything, everything is within standards for C3. C3 is the most flexible commercial district, so heights setbacks, they're meeting all of those things for parking. So there's no they're not asking for any variances or anything from the commission. Because I threw it in with Barry Buick, the commercial district design guidelines for us is just they hit these pretty hard in 2020, but it's the it's the creating places for people, enhancing existing assets, creating connect. I'll go through all this stuff when we go through it. But it's those fundamental concepts, which it's part of ABR's review as well. But for us, they they can talk to this stuff. Um it was hammered pretty hard the first time through. So this was the 2020 approval. Um I took the the conditions, I kind of boiled them down. Um, and I and I put those on the recommendation slide, just as kind of reminders to go through the topics that were covered in the uh the conditions of approval. The site plan has not changed.
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