Committee forwards rezoning for former Park Synagogue site to full council

The Cleveland Heights Planning & Development Committee voted to forward Ordinance 245-2024 to the full City Council after staff and the planning commission recommended rezoning the former Park Synagogue property at 3300 Mayfield Road to an S-2 special use district.

The rezoning would change the roughly 28-acre site from a mix of MF-3 (multifamily) along Mayfield Road and single-family zoning in the interior to an S-2 district, which staff said is intended to enable a unified, mixed-use redevelopment governed by a development plan. “They are recommending approval,” Assistant Planning Director Karen Knut told the committee, summarizing the planning commission’s recommendation.

Why it matters: An S-2 rezoning by itself would not immediately authorize specific buildings or uses; the zoning creates the framework for a development plan, which the petitioner must submit and the planning commission and council must approve before buildings or major changes proceed. Knut described the two-step approach the city is using: rezoning first, then the petitioner returning with a development plan that will set uses, setbacks, density, building heights and other standards.

Committee discussion focused on protecting the site’s natural and historic resources while allowing redevelopment. Staff noted the site includes an open stream segment and mature trees the owners want to preserve. The historic synagogue structure in the center—identified in the meeting as the Mendelsohn Building—has prior conditional use approval from the planning commission for an adaptive reuse as an educational/arts center, and the applicant plans to pursue historic tax credits tied to preserving that structure. “They’re being very sensitive about preserving the integrity of the historic building,” Knut said.

Council members asked whether the S-2 designation would restrict future uses of the historic building. Director Eric Zamp said the S-2 zoning would continue to allow the adaptive reuse already conditionally approved and that the ultimate development plan will impose the specific uses and standards the council would review. Zamp added that the S-2 district is typically implemented through a development plan that can be phased and that any future changes to a plan must be returned for approval.

Outcome: The committee moved Ordinance 245-2024 to the Committee of the Whole (full council) for further consideration; the committee record shows a motion and a second but no roll-call vote tally was recorded in the committee transcript.

What’s next: If the full council approves the rezoning, the developer must submit the S-2 development plan for review. The plan will address detailed design matters—uses, setbacks, building heights, circulation, and environmental protections—and will be subject to public hearings at planning commission and council.