MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio -- The owners of the CVS/Pharmacy property at 5901 Mayfield Road have hit a snag in their attempt to build a Popeyes chicken restaurant in what is now a parking lot just east of the store, as well as to redevelop the CVS, which is slated for closure in 2025.
In early October, the Landis Group, which has leased the property to CVS for 20 years, went before City Council to tell of its plans to build the Popeyes and redevelop the CVS store.
City Council, however, during its meeting Monday (Nov. 13), decided in two 6-1 votes not to approve preliminary plans for the Popeyes or CVS building.
Plans for the CVS building, once it closes, had it being divided into three storefronts.
To the rear of the parking lot where the Popeyes is being planned is the Lakshmi Plaza, home to Dollar General, Inland & Asian Grocery, Cosmo Prof and Euro Deli Deluxe.
Lakshmi Plaza ownership Mayfield Ridge Limited Partnership -- and specifically its general partner, Ivan Sokolov of Beachwood -- attended the meeting. Sokolov voiced his displeasure over the Popeyes plan.
Sokolov told council that the nearly 2,000-square-foot Popeyes building would block the view of the Lakshmi Plaza storefronts from Mayfield Road. He also disapproved of the plan to put the Popeyes’ trash disposal area on the side of the building that adjoins the plaza’s eastern entrance.
Planned is a short drive off the entrance road, where large garbage trucks would drive in and, once filled with garbage, have to back out onto the entrance.
The trash area, which would be enclosed, would be visible from Mayfield Road.
“I’ve been in this business long enough to know not everybody maintains their trash as carefully as they should,” said Sokolov.
Sokolov said he looked at other Popeyes restaurants, and other local restaurants such as Raising Cane’s, across Mayfield Road in the Mayland retail development, and said all have their trash areas in the back of their buildings.
“We, as the owners of the plaza, are opposed to the layout and the presentation of the stores and would ask that this be deferred until it can, in fact, be negotiated,” Sokolov said to council.
“This proves we would not be opposed to having an additional user out front of the (plaza), but I believe it does represent that we want a clean shopping center and we want one that does not generate additional risk to either pedestrians or anybody else.
“We would like to have the opportunity to negotiate through and come up with an alternative to the location of the trash,” he said, noting that having a garbage truck back into the main driveway would not be safe.
Plans for the back of the Popeye’s building now include a two-lane drive-thru.
As for the building blocking the view of the storefronts in the plaza, Landis’ attorney, Benjamin Chojnacki, said the current plan would allow for viewing of the storefronts from Mayfield Road. He said Landis is offering to put up a sign in front that would include all of the names of the businesses in the plaza.
Mayor Anthony DiCicco said he also believes the view of the plaza’s storefronts would not be obstructed.
“If you drive it yourself,” DiCicco said, “the driveway to the east, which is next to the body shop, and the main (existing) driveway, which would be between the CVS building and the (Popeyes), I think the sight lines are fine.”
On a recent trip there, DiCicco said he could clearly see the plaza storefronts.
A representative of the Inland & Asian Grocery also spoke at the meeting, however, voicing concern about the view of the store if a Popeyes was built.
Councilman Robert DeJohn said he wanted to know why the Popeyes was planned for the lot next to CVS and not across Mayfield Road at the Mayland development, where there is room for restaurants to join Raising Cain’s and Sheetz.
DiCicco explained that the city cannot tell a developer how their property should be developed as long as a development is within the city’s ordinances.
The city’s Planning Commission approved the Popeyes plan by a 4-1 vote, but it will now be up to the developer to devise another plan that would be brought back to council with a request for approval.
Councilman Donald Manno said: “I think that’s (Popeyes) the wrong thing to put there. You’re going to have two restaurants, maybe three, within a 500-foot proximity. What is that going to do for the traffic down there?
“I will not support the project,” he said. ”Not as is.”
“It is going to take a majority of council to vote this down, and I would suggest that we vote to stop it,” said DeJohn, who cited the problem of visibility of the stores in Lakshmi Plaza.
Meanwhile, the Landis Group’s motion for council to accept its preliminary plan for redevelopment of the CVS building also did not meet with success.
“This store (CVS) is not slated to be closed until 2025, so why are we looking at this redevelopment now?” DeJohn asked.
“The developer brought this proposal to council at this time in order to find out whether or not the development that has been proposed would be accepted by the city,” Law Director Paul Murphy answered.
“It’s the developer’s timing, not the city’s. They can bring it up whenever they want.”
Answering a question from Councilwoman Gayle Teresi, Chojnacki said that, as of now, there are no known tenants for the CVS building when it closes.
In both 6-1 council votes, Councilman Michael Ballistrea cast the only vote in favor.
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