Office of Community Development 66 Mentor Avenue 440-3925918 Engineering Department 66 Mentor Avenue 440-392-5935

MEMORANDUM
TO: CC: Planning Commission Members City Manager Rita McMahon; Assistant City Manager, Doug Lewis; Assistant Law Director Jim Lyons; Planning Commission Secretary Lynn White Russ Schaedlich, AICP, City Planner December 2, 2011

FROM: DATE:

SUBJECT: Conditional Use Request for Permanent Parcel # 15-C-017-0-00028-0; Containing 49, 644 sq. ft. (or 1.14 Acres of Land) from R2, Multi-Family Residential to B-1, Business/Residential. APPLICANT: Arthur, Carol, and Brian Shamakian and Elissa Petrozzi, dba, Steele Mansion Suites, LLC. CODE SECTIONS: Chapter 1147.02.

EXHIBITS: I. Steele Mansion Suites, LLC Narrative; II. Tax Map; III. Aerial Photo; IV. Pictures GENERAL LOCATION: The parcel of land is located at 348 Mentor Avenue and is near Johnsons Funeral Home, Charter Oak Park and Lake Erie College. LOT AREA: The lot contains 49,644 square feet, or 1.14 acres of land. LAND USE: The parcel contains a former 14-unit apartment building that is undergoing extensive restoration. LAND USE OF SURROUNDING AREAS: NORTH: There are duplexes at 311, 321, 329, and 337 West Jackson Street that are all zoned R-1, Single Family Residential. WEST: There is a single family home at 362 Mentor Avenue. The property is zoned R-2, Multi-Family Residential. Johnsons Funeral Home and residence is located at 368 Mentor Avenue. The First Church of Christ is at 418 Mentor Avenue. Both of these properties are zoned R-1, Single Family Residential. SOUTH: There is a large home converted to 4+ apartments at 343 Mentor Avenue. This property is zoned R-2, Multifamily. Lake Erie

College is to the west of that. The College is zoned R-1, Single Family Residential. EAST:This property at 332 Mentor Avenue has a single family home. East of that is 328 Mentor Avenue which also contains a single family home. There are several multi-family properties east of 328 Mentor Avenue at 312, 298 and 292 Mentor. All of these properties are zoned R-2, Multi-Family Residential. CURRENT ZONING OF SUBJECT PROPERTY: R-2, Multi-Family Residential PROPOSED ZONING OF SUBJECT PROPERTY: B-1, Business Residential PROPOSED USE AND ACTIVITIES: The property owner, Steele Mansion Suites, LLC proposes to operate the inn, which would consist of 22 suites. The owner also proposes related activities such as a restaurant, meeting rooms, gift shop, high teas, weddings, private events, etc. A detailed narrative provided by the applicant is attached for your review. The applicant must successfully rezone the property to B-1, Business/Residential before this proposed conditional use can take effect. The applications are being reviewed simultaneously. As a side note, the applicant has previously received permission to operate fifteen (15) apartments in the Mansion under the propertys current R-2, Multi-Family Residential zoning based upon the propertys lot area. The approval of the applicants request to rezone the property to B-1, Business/Residential will be necessary in order for the applicants conditional use request to move forward. FINDINGS OF FACT: The following is an examination of the conditional use request based on the following criteria: (1) Will be in harmony with the existing or intended character of the neighborhood and that such use will not change the essential character of the area; The area on the north side of Mentor Avenue is a mix of uses, but they are generally residential in nature. There is the Johnson Funeral Home (and residence) and single family homes on either side of the Steele Mansion. As you proceed east, several apartment buildings built approximately in the 1960 to 1980 time-frame line the street. On the south side of Mentor Avenue, there is Lake Erie College and, as you proceed east, there are several homes converted into multiple apartments and some single family homes intermixed. This section of Mentor Avenue from its intersection with West Washington Street to Veterans Park is part of the recently created Mentor Avenue

Historic District Association. The restoration of this historic property does fit the character of the neighborhood. The use of the Mansion as an inn, along with its related activities, is a more intense use than the existing residential uses surrounding the Mansion. There is potential that the use may not be in harmony with neighborhood. The Citys Comprehensive Plan discusses preservation of the residential character of the area. (2) Will not adversely affect the use of adjacent property;

The adjacent properties to either side of the Steele Mansion are used as single family residences. The properties to the rear of the Steele Mansion are zoned R-1, Single Family Residential and contain a series of duplexes. The anticipated activities envisioned by the applicant could potentially have a detrimental effect on the use and enjoyment of the adjacent properties. The property at 348 Mentor Avenue (Steele Mansion) is approximately 125feet in width. This does not provide much room to handle tents for outside affairs and provide for setbacks and/or screening and buffering from neighboring properties. Noise from people attending events, music, kitchen vents, delivery trucks etc. can travel beyond the property lines. Cooking odors and smoke from the kitchen vents or outdoor barbeques also have the potential to travel beyond property lines and become a potential issue for neighbors. Outdoor lighting, event lighting and car headlights may create glare for neighboring properties. With parking off-site there exists potential for litter and trash to occur in the neighborhood. How will all of these potential issues, as discussed in Section 1143.04(b) of the Code, be minimized in relatively tight quarters? The Commission should request responses from the applicant on how these items will be negotiated and then determine appropriate conditions. Access to the property and parking are another concern. People attending events will want to drop guests off at the Mansion. How will they maneuver on the site? The property is not large enough to provide much of the parking needed to provide for guests of the inn, restaurant and special events, particularly at the same time. Parking agreements with other properties such as the Johnson Funeral Home or First Church of Christ, if they can even be secured, may not always coincide with the needs of the Mansion because those facilities may be in need of them for their own purposes. Parking at Lake Erie College is well beyond the 500-foot distance specified in Section 1137.05 of the Planning and Zoning Code. A detailed site plan outlining how parking and traffic flow will be handled should be provided. The hours of operation are a potential issue as well. The applicant has indicated that events would be wrapped up by 12:30 a.m. Will neighboring properties be subjected to crowd noise and music to this late hour on Fridays and Saturdays during the summer? The applicant states that guests will be

told not to roam the sidewalks. What or who will prevent them from doing especially since most of the parking will be off-site? Will security be provided? Parking off-site may raise another concern for pedestrians navigating to their vehicles if alcohol is served at these events. Mentor Avenue is a busy street. Additional information on these items is also needed. (3) Will not adversely affect the health, safety and welfare of persons residing or working in the neighborhood; The proposed inn and related uses of the Steele Mansion property have potential to adversely affect the single family residents on either side of the Steele Mansion through increased noise, lighting and traffic. If alcohol is being served, there should be security in place to assure that nothing gets out of hand. These are concerns that need to be addressed by the applicants to the satisfaction of the City. (4) Will be served adequately by public facilities and services such as, but not limited to, highways, roads, police and fire protection, drainage facilities, water, sewer or schools; All public facilities and services are in place to service this property. (5) Will be in accordance with the general or specific objectives, and the purpose and intent of the Zoning Ordinance and the Comprehensive Plan of the City; The Steele Mansion is located along the southern boundary of Neighborhood #5, just across the street from Neighborhood #9 as described in the 2006 Comprehensive Plan Update. Neighborhood #5 which is much larger than the immediate impact area, is described as: Land uses include a mixture of single family residential, with a few multi-family units, an industrial park and several isolated industries, Morse Avenue Community Center and Park, the Municipal Electric Plant, several public buildings, scattered commercial businesses and a concentration of commercial uses near the downtown, a small segment of the Metroparks Greenway, and a Bed and Breakfast (Riders Tavern). In terms of the Comprehensive Plan, the mix of uses indicated in the area means the area can support variety. However, the operation of a 22room inn along with the proposed activities may be a more intense use of the property than was contemplated under the stated purpose for the B-1 District, especially given its location between two properties zoned R-2, Multi-Family and used as single family residences. Other concerns arise regarding what would happen with the Steele Mansion should this project ultimately not being viable for the applicants. Can the applicant secure adequate shared parking within five hundred (500) feet to

handle the proposed events? Is there a business plan? What other permitted uses under B-1 could reasonably utilize this space should the inn close. Can the inn, or any other B-1 use, be operated with minimal impact to adjacent properties? Staff Recommendation: The operation of an inn, and its related activities, at the Steele Mansion is an intriguing idea presenting many possibilities. At the same time, however, there are many concerns as to the potential effect, as discussed in detail above, the inn could have on adjoining properties that are zoned R-2 and are used as single family homes. If the rezoning goes forward there appears to be a significant amount of additional information necessary for the Planning Commission to adequately review and place the appropriate conditions on this use. The Commission may wish to request and review that information before taking action.