Developer previews 45‑unit mixed‑use project; commission offers feedback in informal PID rezoning review

Uptown Mentor LLC presented an informal review on Feb. 27 for a proposed rezoning from B‑2 Business to a Planned Infill Development (PID) overlay for approximately 1.34 acres on Mentor Avenue. The developer described a predominantly multifamily mixed‑use project with retail or restaurant space on the ground floor.

Allison Sikora, president of Uptown Mentor LLC, said the revised plan focuses on multifamily housing after an earlier 2021 speculative office concept stalled because of rising construction costs and higher interest rates. "This project is predominantly mixed, multi it's a mixed use project, but multifamily," Sikora said, adding the project would include about 45 units over three floors and first‑floor restaurant and retail space.

Chief architect Brandon Klein of Geist Companies joined the presentation and described materials and design intent, including masonry and limestone window sills intended to reference nearby historic elements. City planning staff explained the rezoning path for a PID overlay: "The planned infill development is ideal for this type of location ... if you have a property that's currently commercial and industrially zoned and you can demonstrate that it is economically distressed, you don't have to go through a referendum process to rezone it," Kathy said, summarizing the process steps the applicant will follow to move to formal rezoning and public hearings.

Commissioners offered feedback on building materials, trash and transformer enclosures, solar heat gain mitigation for south‑facing glazing, parking and underground garage access, streetscaping constraints, and possible rooftop use (cost‑prohibitive at present). The developer said the project would provide one parking space per unit in an enclosed below‑grade garage, include bike parking and building amenities such as a fitness center and a pet‑wash, and would seek minor relief for rear landscaping in favor of a fenced pet area.

No formal vote was taken; this was an informal review. The developer indicated an intent to submit a formal rezoning application the next day and requested staff feedback in advance of that submission.

Clarifying details: the site is about 1.34 acres; the proposal described approximately 45 residential units across three floors, first‑floor retail/restaurant uses, enclosed lower‑level parking at roughly 1:1 parking per unit, and estimated rents of about $2 per square foot (presented as a planning‑stage estimate). The developer said finishes would include low‑E glazing and interior window treatments to mitigate solar heat gain; one commissioner suggested exterior shading as an architectural option.

What’s next: the applicant plans to submit a formal rezoning and preliminary development plan; the commission will hold a formal review and then make a recommendation to city council, which holds the final rezoning vote and subsequent final plan review if approved.