Commission approves Fab 5 Fields indoor recreation plan at 7420 Clover Avenue, requires extra parking and easement coordination

The Mentor Planning Commission granted a conditional use permit for a proposed indoor sports facility at 7420 Clover Avenue, where applicant Sergio Defranco and counsel Gordon Burns pitched “Fab 5 Fields” as a first-class indoor soccer and multi-sport venue.

Counsel Gordon Burns described the zoning request and explained that staff identified six criteria for issuing a conditional use permit; staff recommended five conditions in the staff report. Applicant Sergio Defranco said the building meets ceiling-height and spacing needs for indoor soccer and proposed hours that begin as other businesses close to limit traffic conflicts. “We want to transform it into a premier sports facility,” Defranco said.

Commissioners focused on parking and access. Commissioner Varga asked about the applicant’s parking calculation; Defranco acknowledged his original 167-space plan used a different square-footage basis and said the project can accommodate the city’s requested 205 spaces. Commissioners also flagged an ingress/egress easement from the 1970s that covers the property and may require coordination with an adjacent hotel; the applicant said the hotel has not used the easement historically but that coordination will be necessary.

The commission approved the permit with the five staff conditions. The roll call recorded four votes in favor and two opposed. The approval requires the applicant to finalize parking arrangements and resolve any easement access issues with the hotel or property owner as part of permit compliance.