A motion was made by Mr. Nystrom, seconded by Ms. Jones, that the September 11, 2023,
Minutes be approved as edited. The motion carried by the following vote:
Aye:
5 - Ms. Jones, Ms. Norman, Mr. Nystrom, Mr. Stolle and Mr. Furbee
1 - Mr. Romano
Abstain:
VII.
VIII.
A.
Old Business
Public Hearings
A conditional use and site plan request for a 7,539 sq. ft. addition to Ellsworth
Hall, located at Western Reserve Academy.
Attachments:
Mr. Sugar introduced the application by displaying the site plan and describing the scope of the project, noting it
will be a net increase of 4800 square feet after part of the current building is demolished, he also described the
proposed exterior changes, and noted the staff comments.
Mr. Mark Olson, Bialosky Cleveland, and Mr. Seth Duke, project manager, described the purpose of the project
as allowing the totality of the staff and student body, approximately 500 people, to gather for lunch together
while the existing dining hall holds only 350 people. Mr. Olson: Noted the proposed addition will match the
historic look of the existing building, reviewed the constraints placed on the project, stated the building will be
fully sprinkled, and reviewed elements of the storm water management system. The expanded curb cut, the split
boulevard, the natural gas entry, and fire department truck turnaround were all detailed. Mr. Olson also discussed
and displayed the proposed landscaping and the green roof system.
Mr. Duke described the functional benefits and gathering areas of the proposed addition, the attempt to respect
the architecture of Ellsworth Hall, and views of the four side of and top of the building.
Mr. Olson displayed drawings of the lighting details, reviewed the landscape survey, explained the effort to save
the legacy trees as well as a red oak which is adjacent to the proposed detention basin, the traffic study, and the
photometric study which will have reduced pedestrian lighting as compared to the original submittal.
The Commissioners, applicant and staff discussed: An overview of the lighting report, the white oak tree
referenced in the report near the sidewalk, the loading dock with staff’s recommendations to lower the screening,
that the lighting will have the normal campus lighting hours, that each building has an individual address but is
one parcel with frontage on Prospect Street, the expanded curb cut which may impact how trucks enter and leave
the parking lot, the difficulty of making a turning circle in the parking lot, the slope of the loading dock, creating
short term pickup and drop off parking spaces, that the step and patio areas are ADA compliant, that students will
not be on the green roof, the alternate lighting plan, the sidewalk which provides exterior access to service areas .
Mr. Jeff Jacot, WRA, addressed questions regarding the parking lot wall of the previous WRA project.
The Commissioners, applicant and staff discussed: That water service is sufficient to support a sprinkler system,