Shaker Heights council adopts zoning amendment to require conditional-use review for school outdoor recreation

Shaker Heights City Council on April 13 adopted an ordinance amending the zoning code to classify outdoor recreation facilities for public and private schools in the institutional zoning district as a conditional use and to add review standards. Sponsor Councilman Malone and Planning Director Braverman said the change formalizes Planning Commission review, requires submission of traffic and parking plans, a landscape/screening plan and a safety and security plan, and is intended to protect surrounding residential areas while allowing school use.

Director Braverman told council the proposed text makes outdoor recreation facilities subject to conditional-use review and added a new requirement for a safety and security plan following council feedback. She also noted the city lready regulates noise under Chapter 7.55 and nuisance conditions under Chapter 107. The ordinance follows a temporary ordinance enacted Dec. 15, 2025, and comes after Planning Commission review and multiple council readings. "Conditional use review includes Planning Commission public hearing plus council review," Braverman said during her presentation.

Public commenters were split. Benjamin Malbassa, director of development for University School, said his school opposes the ordinance and called it "akin to pinpoint or spot zoning," arguing it could constrain limited varsity events the school wants to host on its Shaker campus. "We are deeply committed to working with the city and to partnering with our neighbors," Malbassa said, while urging council not to hinder the school's educational mission. Neighbors including Will Lefebvre and Barbara Hill Newby urged adoption, citing concerns about stadium lights, loudspeakers, traffic and noise; Lefebvre encouraged council to adopt the conditional-use standards to preserve neighborhood character.

The roll-call vote recorded all present council members voting in favor and the motion carried. Councilmembers and staff emphasized the conditional-use path is intended to allow case-by-case negotiation of traffic, noise and security conditions rather than a blanket prohibition or an unfettered right to expand facilities. The ordinance will apply to any school in the institutional district and to significant changes at existing public-school fields, Director Braverman said.