Sheetz seeks rezoning for Chagrin Boulevard site; company cites traffic study and community benefits

Developers representing FlyCorps and convenience-store operator Sheetz asked the Beachwood City Council Committee of the Whole on April 20 to rezone 24700 Chagrin Boulevard from U7 general office to U9 motor service, a change the applicants say would allow a 24/7 Sheetz convenience store and fuel station at the Commerce Park site.

Diane Kalta, representing FlyCorps and the Sheetz team, said the parcel is functionally obsolete as an office site and presented letters of support from University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center, the City of Solon and other communities. Robert Abramovich, an executive with FlyCorps, described redevelopment alternatives and said the rezoning would help transform the Chagrin Boulevard gateway to Beachwood.

The applicants showed site renderings and engineering recommendations and said a third-party traffic study — which the city engineer has reviewed and approved — recommends widening Commerce Drive, eliminating the existing split phasing at the intersection and dedicating right-of-way from the Sheetz parcel to add a travel lane. Ellen Selle, Sheetz, said the study estimates average daily traffic on that stretch of Chagrin Boulevard at roughly 25,000 vehicles and projects 89 new AM peak-hour trips and 83 new PM peak-hour trips tied to the Sheetz store; she emphasized that the industry-standard ITE trip-generation approach treats about 75% of visits as pass-by trips and that the net new AM inbound vehicles would be about 45.

"Once we eliminate that split phasing, that will improve the delay and improve the level of service here," Selle said, explaining the lane and signal changes the study recommends. Sheetz also said it would limit some driveway movements (for example, restricting left turns out onto Chagrin Boulevard) and would invest in intersection improvements; FlyCorps estimated those roadway changes at "hundreds of thousands of dollars."

Applicants addressed safety and community relations: Sheetz described store security measures, 24-hour monitored cameras, employee training and a regional store-loss-investigation role that works with local law enforcement. Sheetz also said the company has applied for and received an EV charger grant and highlighted charitable programs such as Sheetz for the Kids and local nonprofit support.

Several council members pressed the presenters on alternatives if the rezoning request is denied and asked whether Sheetz would relocate instead to the nearby former Porsche dealership site, which is already zoned for motor service. Presenters said the dealership location could be evaluated but no final decision had been made; the team said their preferred path is the Commerce Park site and the current entitlement work has focused there.

Resident concerns relayed through council included traffic congestion on Chagrin Boulevard and a perception that a 24/7 gas station could increase local crime. A council member who said she had received an unusually high volume of resident calls asked to see the traffic study and to have staff present its findings to Council; Sheetz confirmed the study was submitted and the city engineer approved it last week and offered to provide copies to council.

The police chief, who spoke without a name given in the transcript, said he had reviewed comparable Sheetz locations and was "not overly concerned" about safety at the proposed site while noting that any 24/7 operation can generate incidents and that his view was based on available comparables rather than a prediction. "I feel that this location is more comparable to a Solon [location]," the chief said, citing low call volumes at that comparable store.

Council members asked staff and the applicants to provide estimated revenue figures — including real estate and payroll/income tax impacts — from comparable projects so residents can better understand potential economic benefits. No formal council vote or motion on the rezoning was taken at the committee meeting; presenters were told questions from the regular council meeting could be referred to the applicants and their team would provide additional detail.

The Committee of the Whole adjourned with no final action on the rezoning request; the matter may return for additional review and formal consideration at a subsequent regular council meeting.