Birdtown Brewery

Developers have cleared a major hurdle in their plans to turn St. Gregory the Theologian Byzantine Catholic Church in Lakewood's Birdtown neighborhood into a brewery and pizza restaurant.

(Bruce Geiselman, NEOMG)

LAKEWOOD, Ohio – The planning commission Thursday night gave unanimous approval for developers to move forward with plans to turn a former Birdtown neighborhood church into a brewery and restaurant.

Developers Tom Leneghan, Sean Fairbairn and Jake Hawley said following the vote they plan to purchase the property this month, begin construction this fall, and open the Birdtown Brewery by summer 2015.

While plans affecting the exterior of the building still must be approved by the city's architectural board of review, the granting of a conditional use permit by the planning commission was considered the major hurdle. The conditional use permit was necessary because the developers want to build the brewery in a residential neighborhood.

The brewery would be in the former St. Gregory the Theologian Byzantine Catholic Church at the intersection of Quail and Thrush streets. The church is across Thrush from North Coast Baptist Church, whose minister objects to the brewery moving into the neighborhood. The church created a website opposing the project.

It also is near an elementary school. Lakewood school board member Ed Favre Thursday night spoke against the brewery, citing numerous concerns, including worries about the safety of children.

"The proposed bar is a mere 64 feet from Harrison Elementary School on the opposite corner of Quail and Thrush streets," Favre said.

The school has students as young as 4, as well as a day care center. Favre expressed concerns about delivery trucks in the area.

The planning commission voted after hearing comments from about 20 residents and neighbors. They were nearly equally divided between those favoring the project and those opposing it.

The opponents expressed concerns about brewery patrons taking away on-street parking from residents and how increased traffic and truck deliveries would affect pedestrian safety.

Proponents, meanwhile, said the plan presented an opportunity for redeveloping the church, which has been vacant for two years and plagued by vandals. They said the development could help boost property values, attract additional investments, and make the neighborhood more attractive.

City Council member Cindy Marx and council President Mary Louise Madigan spoke in favor of the project. Several speakers said it could be difficult to find another developer wanting to purchase and renovate the old church, which was built in 1925.

Comments were similar to those made during a May 1 planning commission meeting when the proposal was first introduced.

At the end of Thursday's meeting, commission members said they understood residents' concerns, but felt the positives of the plan would outweigh the negatives.

"I don't think we could get a more noble suitor for this building than Mr. Leneghan at this time," commission member William Gaydos said. "It seems like a good project for the neighborhood."

The commission included several conditions recommended by city Planning and Development Director Dru Siley designed to address some of the residents' concerns.

The requirements include that developers attempt to arrange for additional off-street parking by negotiating agreements with nearby commercial parking lot owners. An existing parking lot, with 22 spaces, will be expanded with the removal of a garage to about 31 spacers. However, city officials believe the business still requires at least another six parking spaces.

In addition, deliveries must be made in a way to minimize disruption to Harrison Elementary School.

A former parish house located adjacent to the church, which the developers also purchased, must be renovated before work begins on the restaurant and brewery. One of the owners has promised to live in the house so as to be on-hand to address concerns from neighbors.

The final condition is the city's architectural board of review should ensure all signage is of appropriate scale for the building and neighborhood.

If the developers fail to meet all the conditions, the planning commission would have the option of revoking the conditional use permit and shutting down the business, Siley said. However, he added he had confidence in the developers, who have extensive experience with restaurant management and historic restoration of buildings.

Leneghan, Fairbairn and Hawley run the Barrio restaurants in Lakewood and Cleveland's Tremont area. Leneghan said they would spend about $2 million buying the church property and renovating it, including the church home.

Highlights of their plans for remodeling the church into a brewery include:

Incorporating stained glass windows

Hiring local artists to put paintings on the ceiling

Placing brewing equipment behind glass on what is now the altar

Constructing an open kitchen where visitors could watch their pizzas being made.

The building would have a 150-person maximum occupancy.

Siley said the project was important for the Birdtown neighborhood, which is facing challenges including higher than average poverty rates and lower than average property values compared to the rest of the city.

"It's going to take a building that needs a lot of work and offers a lot of character and make it vibrant," Siley said.

The brewery, by agreement with the city, would only be open Monday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. The hours are designed to minimize impact from traffic on neighbors, including Harrison Elementary School.