STAFF REPORT

To: Municipal Planning

Commission
Meeting Date:
February 5, 2015
Applicant:

Prepared By: Ronald M. Traub, Director

Economic & Community Development

James Jones for BL Companies and Edward Davis for Miller Brother Construction Inc.

Status of Applicant: Applicant and Property Owner

Requested Action: Preliminary Site Plan
Purpose:

To construct a Dollar General store.

Existing Zoning:

B-2, General Business

Parcel ID Number:

16-D-113-C-00-017, -027-0

Location:

9229 Lake Shore Boulevard

Size:

9,202 sq. ft. building on 1.5 +/- acre site

Existing Land Use: Undeveloped land

Surrounding Land Use and Zoning:
North: Undeveloped land; zoned B-2, General Business and single-family homes; zoned
R-4, Single Family Residential
East: Single-family homes; zoned R-4, Single Family Residential
South: Undeveloped land; zoned R-4, Single Family Residential and multi-tenant shopping
center; zoned B-2 General Business
West: Undeveloped land; zoned B-2, General Business.
Zoning History:
The site is a portion of the former Paisley Farms property which originated in 1945. A
52,000 sq. ft. industrial/office building previously occupied the site. The building was
home to Paisley Farms and most recently used for a day care center and for
warehousing. The property was designated as B-2, General Business in 1982. A request
to rezone the property to MIP, Industrial Park was denied by the Planning Commission
in January of 1991. A CUP was issued in January of 1992 for warehousing and
wholesaling of automotive products for Domar Distributing who would share the
building with Paisley Farms. In April of 2000, a CUP was issued to Kiddie Academy
Child Care to use an office space portion of the building and the CUP was transferred in
2002. The building was demolished in June of 2011 after being deemed unsafe by the
City.
Applicable
Regulations:

1133 Site Development Plans

1162 Landscaping, Screening and Buffering
1169 Outdoor Lighting
1171 Signs
Design Guidelines

Public Utilities: Site plans indicate existing utilities and proposed utility connections to the building.
Engineering Comments:
1.
A Building Permit is required for new buildings. Plans shall be submitted for permit review by the Chief
Building Official for conformance with the Ohio Building Code and necessary permits obtained.
2.
Remove all remaining foundations on the lot.
3.
The side slopes of the curb ramp appear too steep.
/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_1/259155403.doc

Site-1-15-5473

4.
5.
6.
7.

8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.

Stormwater detention required per City Ordinance. Calculations for drainage and detention required for
City review and approval. Drainage Design Standards are available on City website under Stormwater
Info.
Elevation data needs to be tied to mean sea level. Elevations provided appear to be off by 100 ft. from
mean sea level.
Site subject to NPDES Stormwater Permit requirements. Copy of permit or permit application required
prior to start of construction.
Provide more information on how drainage will be managed. Existing concrete to the north of the site
may need to be removed. Sheet flow from site may impact existing properties to the northwest off of
existing private drive. Site plan shows existing 18 storm sewer on Lake Shore Blvd. that may be deep
enough for an outfall.
Site subject to City stormwater quality requirements. Site plan shall detail the installation and long term
maintenance plan of post-construction best management practices to manage stormwater quality per City
requirements.
Erosion control plan including schedule for installation to be included in construction plans. (Refer to
Chapter 1353 of the Mentor Code of Ordinances). Plans to include City of Mentor standard SWP3 notes
available at www.cityofmentor.com/live/storm-water-info/storm-water-management.
BMP Maintenance Agreement for stormwater management practices shall be submitted with permit
application. Typical agreement form can be found at www.cityofmentor.com/live/storm-water-info/stormwater-management.
Final site plan to conform to City standards (available upon request) as part of next submittal.
All utilities servicing site shall be bored under Lake Shore Blvd, as necessary.
Detail on sheet SP-01 indicates pavement to be cut on Lake Shore. This is not necessary and will not be
permitted.
Drive aprons shall be 8 (minimum) concrete or asphalt with 4 aggregate sub base.
The applicant pursuant to 1133.05(f) or 1113.02(p) of the Mentor Code of Ordinances is required to
provide a trip generation study.
All traffic control devices shall be designed, installed and maintained in conformance with the Ohio
Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices and shall be detailed on the plan. All sign sheeting material
shall be Type H reflective sheeting. All signs shall be mounted at a 7 height to the bottom of the sign.

Applicant shall provide written confirmation and plan modifications with next submittal as to the disposition
of each of the above comments.
Fire Department Comments:
A fire hydrant shall be provided within 250' of all parts of the building as the hose lays, or as needed for
tactical purposes as determined by the fire chief.
Provide a fire hydrant with a 5" storz outlet at the SE corner of the building.
Police Department Comments:
No Comments
Analysis:

The applicant proposes to construct a Dollar General store at 9229 Lake Shore Boulevard. The
site is located just west of Corduroy Road on the north side of Lake Shore Boulevard and is zoned
B-2, General Business. The Paisley Farms food processing facility formerly occupied the property
and the building was demolished in 2011 leaving the concrete building pad. The City Engineer is
requesting the removal of the entire concrete pad; a portion of which is located at the rear of the
proposed site. A minor subdivision application will need to be filed with the City allowing for the
consolidation of existing parcels and subsequent split of the 1.4+ acre parcel. The rear property
line may need to be shifted further north dependent on the proposed size of the detention basin.
The proposed building is set back approximately 100 ft. from the Lake Shore Boulevard right-ofway, 25.32 ft. from west side property line; 75.5 ft. from the east side line abutting residentiallyzoned property and in excess of 65+ ft. from the rear property line. All of the building setbacks

/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_1/259155403.doc

Site-1-15-5473

exceed the minimum setback requirements established for the B-2, General Business district. The
Fire Department has commented that a fire hydrant shall be provided within 250' of all parts of the
building as the hose lays, or as needed for tactical purposes as determined by the Fire Chief.
Access to the site is provided by 35-ft. wide access drive off of Lake Shore Boulevard. The plan
shows one lane in and one lane out of the site. Parking areas are located at the front and along the
east side of the building. The access drive is set back the minimum 20 ft. as required per Chapter
1162.11 Buffer Requirements. A single-story retail store less than 40,000 sq. ft. requires a Buffer
Type C and a solid eight (8)-ft. wood fence or masonry wall. The site plan indicates a solid eight
(8)-ft. fence located along the east side property line and possible canopy trees. The applicant is
advised that the proposed eight (8)-ft. fence is required to taper down to a three (3)-ft. high
decorative style fence within the thirty (30)-ft. front building setback. Additionally, the final
landscape plan will need to include the required number of canopy and understory trees, shrubs and
evergreen/confers required to be planted in the 20-ft. buffer depth per 100 lineal feet. The front
parking lot is set back approximately 15 ft. from the street right-of-way exceeding the minimum
10-ft. parking setback.
The minimum number of parking spaces required for a retail store is 3.75 spaces per 1,000 gross
sq. ft., or 35 spaces, while the maximum is four (4) spaces per 1,000 sq. ft., or 46 spaces. The site
plan provides for 35 spaces with 18 spaces in front of the building and 17 along the east side.
A loading area and delivery entrance is proposed at the rear of the building on the east side
elevation. The final site plan shall provide the on-site turning radius movement for truck delivers.
Per Chapter 1173.10 Loading Spaces and Docks, loading spaces shall not be designed to allow for
the backing of vehicles onto the public right-of-way. The applicant is advised that loading and
unloading of trucks is not permitted between the hours of 9:00 P.M. and 7:00 A.M. per Chapter
531.02 Noise Disturbances Prohibited (D). Signage shall be installed indicating the loading and
unloading of truck deliveries is not permitted between the hours of 9:00 P.M. and 7:00 A.M. The
Administration is recommending reorienting the building to the east side of the property and
locating the access drive, parking and loading areas to the west side of the building away from the
residential properties. The building mass along the east side property line would serve to buffer
noise from the parking and loading areas. It may also provide cross-access connections to any
future commercial development on the vacant property to the west.
The applicant indicates an estimated 45 total trips to and from the business on the traffic study
indicated on the site plan. The City Engineer is requesting a full-trip generation study for the final
site plan submission. The site plan does not provide for a conforming five (5)-ft. wide sidewalk
along Lakeshore Boulevard. It may be appropriate to waive the sidewalk requirement due to
existing bike/pedestrian paths located on both side of Lakeshore Boulevard. Staff recommends the
installation of a bike rack to serve customers.
A preliminary provision for drainage and stormwater detention indicates a basin at the rear of the
site that outflows to the north side of the property. The City Engineer has commented that the
sheet flow from the proposed basin may impact existing residential home sites and undeveloped
properties to the northwest of the site. The site plan indicates an existing 18 storm sewer in the
street right-of-way that may be deep enough for the stormwater outfall. Calculations for drainage
and stormwater detention are required for review and approval by the City Engineer. The applicant
should contact the City Engineer regarding the stormwater detention design.
Preliminary building elevations indicate the use of an eight (8)-in. split face block with metal panels
on the front elevation and metal panels on the side and rear elevations. The Design Guidelines
recommend brick for new construction in the commercial corridors of the City. It may be
appropriate to require a four (4)-in. utility brick as the principal building material due to the fact
proposed building is adjacent to residential homes and should set the standard for possible
subsequent development. Secondary materials could include an accent band of split face block
and/or cast stone. The applicant is advised that the final building elevation shall comply with the
/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_1/259155403.doc

Site-1-15-5473

Design Guidelines.
The front elevation provides a notation for the installation of eye-bolts within the split-face block,
four (4) on either side of the entrance door. The eye-bolts are being installed possibly for
advertising banners. The applicant has been advised that temporary signage is not permitted per
Chapter 1171 Sign Code.
The building elevations indicate the location of the roof-mounted mechanical units. It appears that
the rooftop units project above the parapet wall and are visible from all elevations of the building.
Per Chapter 1162.06 Screening; the screening shall fully shield service structures and loading
docks from view of neighbor properties and the public right-of-way. Additional screening will be
required to fully screen the rooftop units from off-site views.
A landscape plan is required to be submitted as part of the final site submittal and shall be in
conformance with Chapter 1162 Landscaping, Screening and Buffering. The plan shall include
foundation plantings along the front wall of the building and street trees 40 ft. on center with a
detailed plant material list. The applicant is advised the final landscape plan shall include an
underground irrigation system and that a landscape bond in the amount of 100 percent of the cost
of the plant material and cost of installation is required prior to the issuance of a building permit.
Trash and refuse containers/dumpsters shall be fully shielded from view by opaque, matching
masonry walls the color compatible with the principal structure. An opaque gate is required and
shall remain closed at all times when not being accessed.
The applicant has provided a photometric plan indicating that the level of lighting at the property
line in foot candles. Per Chapter 1169 Outdoor Lighting the level lighting at the property line shall
not exceed 11 lux and/or one (1) foot candle at the property line. The level of light shall be
adjusted for the wall-mounted light fixture on the west side of the building that slightly exceeds
one (1) foot candle. The height of the proposed light poles will need to be reduced from 25 ft. so
not to be taller than the building.
Conditions:
1. The applicant shall provide written confirmation as to the disposition of each of the City Engineer's and Fire
Departments comments and shall be included as parts of any final site plan application.
2. Conforming sidewalks may be waived pending Commission approval.
3. Signage shall be installed indicating the loading and unloading of truck deliveries is not permitted between the
hours of 9:00 P.M. and 7:00 A.M.
4. All ground- and roof-mounted mechanical units shall be fully screen from off-site views from neighboring
properties and the street right-of-way.
5. The final site plan shall provide for a matching masonry trash enclosure with spring-loaded, self-closing solid
gates.
6. A landscape plan in conformance with Chapter 1162: Landscaping, Screening and Buffering shall be
submitted as part of the final site plan per the Administrators comments.
7. The outdooring lighting plan shall be revised so that the level of lighting does not exceed one (1) foot candle
at the property line and the height of the outdoor light poles shall not exceed the height of the building.
Exhibits:

Site Plan, Building Elevations, Landscape Plan, GIS Map

/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_1/259155403.doc

Site-1-15-5473