Rehearing for Heideloff Ruling Slated for Next Week

The neighbors who’d hoped to make the Heideloff estate a historic landmark are going to try again next week.

The planning commission will decide whether to rehear the case, after ruling last month — in a split vote — to deny the property the historic landmark status. 

In the appeal letter, neighbor Mary Breiner points out several reasons why the planning commission should revisit the issue. 

According to the appeal, those issue are:

• The applicants were not provided the option to have the vote deferred until which time the new member could “get up to speed.”
• The abstention by a new member was a result of an unnecessary delay in the process caused by the city administration.
• Unnecessary confusion caused by assistant law director regarding the designation applying to “Buildings” v. “Site.”
• Unnecessary confusion caused by secretary regarding the matter of “affirmative maintenance” as it relates to hardship.
• Inconsistent application of the ordinances with regards to “commercial” property and “residential” property… a distinction not made in the ordinance.

To see the entire appeal, click on the PDF at right.

The meeting is scheduled to take place in the auditorium at Lakewood City Hall at 7 p.m. March 7.

The home at 13474 Edgewater Drive is expected to be demolished to make way for a new $2 million lakefront home.

Members of the planning commission deliberated for about 45 minutes at a meeting earlier this month, and with a new member encouraged to abstain, the vote ended with a 3-3 decision.

That effectively denied the motion to make the property “historic” under city ordinance.

At the center of the debate was the issue of private property rights versus historic preservation.

The neighbors, not the property owners, submitted the paperwork to make the mansion a historic landmark.