Council approves demolition of former Boston Market to add parking and pocket park after safety debate (4–3)

Council approved a Planning Commission recommendation to demolish the former Boston Market building at 2184 Warrensville Center Road and convert the site to surface parking and a landscaped pocket park, with conditions to add a right‑turn pavement arrow in the north area and install suitable lighting in the pocket park.

Applicant Jordan Berns (Berns, Ockner & Greenberger LLC) and owner/manager Rick Zack said the building is functionally obsolete and that Whole Foods, a key tenant, requested additional front‑door parking to support its continued tenancy. Traffic engineer Andrew Pearson recommended pavement re‑marking, a new crosswalk and one‑way aisle control with angled parking to reduce conflicts.

Several councilmembers expressed reservations. Councilmember Brian King said removing a revenue‑generating building in a 1.8‑square‑mile city for what he characterized as a net gain of two parking spaces was a poor land‑use tradeoff. Councilmember Sheri Sax and Councilmember Winifred Weizer cited pedestrian safety concerns about the park’s placement near Warrensville Center Road and questioned whether signage alone would prevent unsafe crossings.

Councilmember John Rach said he supported advancing the Planning Commission recommendation to obtain further public feedback and noted the pocket park could add amenities and help avoid a long vacancy. Jordan Berns said the design includes a fence and other separations from the street and that the ownership would revisit the plan if it created hazards.

Motion: Approve recommendation from the Planning Commission to demolish 2184 Warrensville Center Road (Boston Market) and create surface parking, conditioned on addition of a right‑turn pavement arrow and suitable lighting in the pocket park.

Mover: Mrs. Michele Weiss; Second: Mr. John Rach. On roll call, the motion passed with four ayes (Weiss, Cooney, Marshall, Rach) and three nays (King, Sax, Weizer).