MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio -- A Popeyes chicken restaurant is no longer in the plans for the parking lot next to the former CVS building at 5901 Mayfield Road.
Instead, the property’s owner, the Landes Group, of Dallas, are moving forward with plans for a 5,000-square-foot retail building that would likely be home to one tenant. If necessary, the new building could be divided.
That was the updated plan City Council heard Monday (March 24) from Landes’ lawyer Ben Chojnacki and architect Tommy Chesnes of the firm Onyx Creative.
The Landes Group, in October, 2023, announced its intention to build a Popeyes on what is now a parking lot just east of the CVS building.
In April, 2024, council approved site plans for the 1,500-square-foot Popeye’s quick service/drive-thru, and for renovation of the recently vacated CVS building, which would be divided into space for as many as three commercial tenants. The CVS plans have not changed.
Chojnacki said that Landes attempted to move forward with the Popeyes plan, but, “Unfortunately, the city and the Landes Group property owners were named as defendants in a lawsuit (brought) by the neighbor to the south, Mayfield Ridge (Limited Partnership).”
The Mayfield Ridge partnership and its general partner, Beachwood’s Ivan Sokolov, own the Lakshmi Plaza, located in the rear of the parking lot.
Sokolov has maintained that a new building will block the view of the Lakshmi Plaza and its four businesses from those traveling on Mayfield Road.
“The consequence of that (lawsuit),” Chojnacki told council, “was that we had to reassess the project and redevelop the plan in a way that would be both more advantageous to us (Landes Group), and to address some of the concerns the city had, as well.
“We had to mitigate our (financial) damages and figure a way of how to better address how to improve this site so it was more consistent with (the city’s Mayfield Road) Corridor Design manual.”
Councilman Michael Ballistrea asked Chojnacki if there were any remaining visibility issues with Lakshmi Plaza, being that the new planned building, at 5,000 square feet, is larger than the 1,500-square-foot Popeye’s building opposed by Sokolov.
“We have not addressed this with the neighbor, sir,” Chojnacki answered. “We’re by right permitted to build it, so (we will move forward with it).”
Chojnacki said litigation is ongoing, and that the city remains involved in that litigation.
Chesnes said the newly planned brick building would be built with its back facing Mayfield Road.
There are now no tenants planned for the new retail building. He said that the color palette of the new building will match that of the renovated CVS building to make for a more cohesive campus.
“We also designed it to feel like one retail campus with crosswalks and connections through the site so that it reads as one retail experience,” Chesnes said.
Chojnacki said that the portion of the shared parking lot with Lakshmi Plaza that is owned by the Landes Group will be totally repaved. When asked by Ballistrea if the one tenant in the new building might be a restaurant, Chojnacki said that is not likely.
Mayor Anthony DiCicco said that the city’s Architectural Review Board will have to look at the plans and that there “are a lot of steps” still to be taken before the new plan becomes official. The plan has been presented to the city’s Planning Commission.
“This is just the first step and I think this new building addresses most of council’s issues with a drive-thru and garbage, and things like that (that would have stemmed from a Popeyes).”
“It’s a nice plan,” said Councilman Donald Manno. “I like this better than the other one (Popeyes).”
Council gave preliminary approval to the new plan by a 6-0 vote (Councilman King Miner was not present).
Read more from the Sun Messenger.