Judge Upholds 'Historic Landmark' Decision

The owners of the building that once housed the filed an appeal of the Lakewood’s Planning Commission’s decision that made the 100-year-old building a historic landmark.

California Phone — which owns the property — wasn’t too happy with the ruling and filed the appeal in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court in July.

Judge Shirley Strickland Saffold recently upheld the planning commission’s decision.

“After reviewing the record and the evidence submitted, the appellant’s appeal is not well taken,” according to Saffold’s ruling. “The court hereby finds that the appellant was afforded proper opportunity to raise its arguments at the eligibility and designation hearings.”

The city’s planning commission, as well as LakewoodAlive, the city’s economic development organization, were named as defendants in the case.

The historic designation — one of only three structures in the city with the “landmark” status — means that making changes to the nearly 100-year-old building would be next to impossible.

Changes to the building’s exterior would also not be permitted.

The planning commission is facing another instance of the owners of a building opposing their property as a historic landmark under the city’s ordinance. 

The neighbors of the property at 13474 Edgewater Drive recently submitted the paperwork to make the mansion a historic landmark.

The owners have expressed opposition to the plan.