Planning Commission Approves Permits For Shooting Range & Burger FI

Mentor Planning Commission unanimously approved permits for both a Burger FI restaurant at 8748 Mentor Ave. and an indoor shooting range at 6240 Tin Man Road during its meeting Thursday evening.

The commission also approved the restaurant's and range's respective preliminary site plans.

David Holtz, the owner of the forthcoming North Coast Gun Club, noted that it had been a long path to get the necessary permissions to open a shooting range.

First, the City Council needed to approve changes in the city code to allow the business to operate. Then the Commission had to issue a conditional-use permit.

Before the Commission voted for the shooting range's permit, a neighboring business owner expressed some concerns about it.

Jim Lawyer said he had concerns about safety, traffic and noise.

Holtz replied that the business already planned to build concrete walls and other sound-dampening measures.

"Literally, by the time the sound of a gunshot gets to our parking lot, it will have gone from 140 decibels to 24," Holtz said.

By comparison, Holtz said the sound of rustling leaves is 20 decibels.

And, as per safety, Holtz said, "Nobody will be safer than us. Our whole purpose is to promote safety. We're not going to be running the Wild West."

Also at the meeting, the Commission voted for a permit that will allow Burger FI to have outdoor dining.

Burger FI is a franchise that was started in Florida. It markets itself as an urban roadside burger stand that sells customizable burgers and "hipster dogs."

When BurgerFi opens in Mentor, it will be the chain's first franchise in Ohio.