VIDEO: Chagrin Zoning Amendment Vote Postponed

Beachwood City Council voted unanimously to postpone to Sept. 19 a vote on that would allow more hotels and stand-alone restaurants on Chagrin Boulevard.

The public hearing scheduled for the council meeting lasted over an hour and council discussed the ordinance for nearly an hour more before council voted to table the legislation.

 — now restricted primarily for office use — was the topic of discussion for much of the hearing.

Residents near the site at Richmond Road and Chagrin Boulevard voiced their opposition to positioning a hotel at the northwest corner of the intersection.

If the ordinance passes, developer Scott Berkowitz has said he would apply to build an Aloft, an upscale hotel operated by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. that is also being developed at Cleveland's The Flats.

Though Law Director Margaret Cannon told the audience that the hearing was for the ordinance and not the Aloft hotel, council asked Signature Square property owner Eric Bell to present to council what the application for Aloft would look like if this ordinance passes at the Sept. 19 meeting.

Berkowitz presented to Council last month conceptual drawings of the hotel.

Goldberg was notified that the city might change the zoning at Signature Square and began exploring the option, he told Council and the audience at Monday night’s meeting.

The ordinance would allow the hotels and stand-alone restaurants in the zoning districts on a conditional basis, said City Planner George Smerigan.

It is illegal to discriminate against particular hotels, but the conditions for application were written to restrict development to more upscale hotels, Smerigan added: they must have Internet access, a central lobby accessible to all rooms, indoor room entrances and the rooms must be a particular size.

The conditions also set minimum size requirements for the rooms, recreational areas and conference and meeting room areas.

Watch Beachwood Patch for the video of resident, developer and council comments later today.