Planning Commission Approves Permit, Site Plan For Audi Dealership

The Mentor Planning Commission approved both the permit and preliminary site plan during its meeting Thursday night.

, Penske is looking to relocate its Willoughby Audi dealership to 8599 Market St., which will bring about 50 jobs to the city and generate about $30 million in sales.

The proposed dealership would be 23,000 square feet and built on a vacant six acres just north of Outback Steakhouse.

The property borders residential neighborhoods on the lot's north and west sides, so the Penske has said it will build a 25-foot landscape buffer on those borders.

However, some Mentor residents came to the meeting and said they were concerned about potential light, noise and water retention issues the dealership might cause, according to The News-Herald.

For example, one neighbor, Ben Coleman, said he hoped the dealership would build a stone or masonry wall around its periphery, as opposed to an 8-foot wooden fence, The News-Herald said.

However, any concerns did not prevent the Commission from approving Penske's preliminary site plan and permit

However, the Commission will still have to review and approve Penske's final site plans at a later meeting.

The city of Mentor sold the Market Street property to Penske for $500,000 with the understanding that an Audi dealership will be built there.

At the meeting, the Commission also:

• approved the move of Billy's Martini Bar from to 7338 Industrial Park Boulevard, near the First Merit Bank, Quaker Steak & Lube and DiBella's.
• tabled Melt's request for a condition use permit to use an existing patio attached to their building. The matter was not tabled because of a problem with the permit but because no one from Melt attended Thursday's meeting.