Mentor planners split on proposed Subarea A amendment after legal, circulation and public‑access questions

Developer representatives and their attorney asked the Mentor Planning Commission on Dec. 4 to recommend that the city amend an approved development plan for Subarea A at Johnnycake Ridge Road and Center Street to allow a mix of attached single‑family rental units and detached homes, and to adjust the subarea acreage and trail connectivity.

The applicant’s team — Sam Petros and Greg Modic — told the commission the submitted exhibits show roughly 21 acres of green/open space in Subarea A, trail connections along Johnnycake Ridge and Route 615, and design measures intended to preserve open‑space acreage in line with the previously approved judgment entry. "Within sub area a, we have approximately 21 acres of open space," Greg Modic said, adding that the submission was updated to reflect agreed acreages and trail connectivity.

John Slater, attorney for the applicant, told the commission he had reviewed the development agreement, the judgment entry and the city code and concluded the proposed housing type fits the local definition of "attached single‑family." "There is nothing prohibiting these being rental type of properties," Slater said, arguing the code’s definition contemplates…