Lakewood Planning Commission Meeting - May 7, 2026: Sidewalk Dining Permits Approved
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Lakewood Planning Commission Meeting - May 7, 2026
On Thursday, May 7, 2026, the Lakewood Planning Commission convened at 6:00 PM in the Auditorium at 12650 Detroit Avenue to review and act on five conditional use permit applications for seasonal outdoor sidewalk dining on Madison Avenue. The commission also approved the minutes from the April 2, 2026 meeting and excused a commissioner's absence. All five applications were approved unanimously with conditions, focusing on maintaining a compliant five-foot pedestrian access route (PAR) and adhering to updated accessibility standards under the city's ProWAG ordinance.
Consent Calendar
- Roll Call: Commissioners present: Nicholas LePoint, Nicholas Miller, Kyle Rees, William Sanderson. Hannah Gall was excused by motion (moved and seconded, all in favor).
- Minutes Approval: The minutes from the Thursday, April 2, 2026 meeting were approved unanimously (motion, second, all ayes).
Discussion Items
1. Docket No. 05-13-26 SOD – Angelo's Pizza (13715 Madison Ave)
- Applicant: Karen Hedge (address not specified). Application for a conditional use permit renewal for seasonal outdoor sidewalk dining. City staff (Michelle Nochta) recommended approval, noting the site plan is compliant with ProWAG and the city's outdoor dining regulations, with the condition that the applicant maintain a minimum compliant pedestrian access route of five feet. A small area near the front door may require inspector adjustment. No public comments. Motion to approve with that condition carried unanimously.
2. Docket No. 05-14-26 SOD – Sunday Bird (15027 Madison Ave)
- Applicant: Tim Frazee (address: 20020 Laurel Ave, Rocky River). New application for the same location as a previous tenant. The proposed layout (same number of seats and tables) required sidewalk brick repairs to achieve the five-foot PAR. Staff recommended approval with the condition of maintaining that PAR. No public comments. Approved unanimously.
3. Docket No. 05-15-26 SOD – Red Rose Cafe (14810 Madison Ave)
- Applicant: Rose Kirschnick (address: 2060 Arthur Ave, Westlake). During inspection, the allowable outdoor dining area needed to be shortened slightly due to cross-slope measurements: 3.8 feet from the building and 15.5 feet in length. Staff recommended approval with the stipulation that the setup remain within the defined area to maintain the five-foot PAR. No public comments. Approved unanimously with that condition.
4. Docket No. 05-16-26 SOD – The Winchester (12112 Madison Ave)
- Applicant: Keith Myers (co-owner, address: 22240 Detroit Rd, Rocky River) representing Shane Motolik. No changes were needed from the previous approval (11 feet from foundation, 20 feet across). Staff recommended reapproval with the standard PAR condition. No public comments. Approved unanimously.
5. Docket No. 05-17-26 SOD – McGinty's Pub (13749 Madison Ave)
- Applicant: Patrick McGinty (address: 1056 Forest Cliff Dr, Lakewood). Discussion focused on modifications due to construction and cross-slope constraints under ProWAG. The west storefront area was reduced; staff explained that the cross slope (2.08% maximum required by US Access Board) limited available space. The east storefront area was also adjusted. The applicant inquired about using bar rails with stools, which was allowed within the permitted box. A condition was added that the applicant and city staff coordinate during ongoing construction to explore potential improvements (e.g., curb-line adjustments). No public comments. Motion to approve with three conditions: maintain five-foot PAR, follow reduced areas per updated red-line plan, and cooperate on potential modifications during construction. Approved unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- All five conditional use permits for sidewalk dining were approved unanimously by the commission (votes: 4-0 each, with one excused).
- Each approval includes a standard condition to maintain a five-foot compliant pedestrian access route (PAR) and adhere to ProWAG accessibility standards.
- For McGinty's Pub, an additional directive required coordination between the applicant and city staff to explore any feasible adjustments during the ongoing construction on Detroit Avenue.
- The meeting was adjourned at approximately 6:24 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Hannah Gall. Nicholas LePoint. Nicholas Miller. Present. Kyle Rees. William Sanderson. A motion and a second to excuse Hannah Gall. I will make a motion for excused absence. Second. The first and second. All in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. Turn it over to the city for opening remarks, please. Oh, actually, before that, we will uh um move to review and approve the minutes from the Thursday, April 2nd meeting. Assuming everybody has had a chance to review the minutes. Is there a motion? Uh would somebody like to put forth a motion. All right, there's a first. Is there a second? Second. First and second. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed? Aye. Any opposed, no? No. Opposition. Uh motion carries. Now I will turn it over to the city for opening remarks. Good evening and welcome to the Lakewood Planning Commission meeting. The commission is comprised of five members charged with evaluating proposals as required by Lakewood zoning code and community vision. The charter of the city established the authority of the commission and its members are volunteer Lakewood residents appointed to five-year terms by the mayor or city council. Tonight the commission shall hear from each applicant on their respective docket item. The commission may also take public comment for each docket item, and public comment shall only address that specific data docket item being considered. So I'll skip this bit. When you are called to the podium, we ask that you please sign the oath sheet and then state your name and address into the microphone for the record prior to addressing the commission. Okay, thank you. First item under conditional use is docket number item 051326, SOD for 13715 Madison Avenue, Angelo's Pizza Sidewalk Dining. Um I'd like to invite the applicants up to the podium, if you could just state your name for the record and to indicate that you are present. And uh unless there's anything special that you would like to take us through or mention uh related to your applicant, we will then turn it over to the city to just step through uh your application here and uh um for consideration. My name's Karen Hedge. Do you want the my home address or the address for your home adjects? Thank you. Thank you. Uh so for this docket item. This is a reapproval of the conditional use. Uh the city is making a recommendation to approve this conditional use as presented.
openpublica.com