Planning Commission Rejects RedBox In Front Of Walgreens

The Mentor Planning Commission unanimously rejected ' request to put a RedBox DVD vending machine in front of its Mentor Avenue store.

The city does not allow outside storage, displays or vending machines unless it's part of a building's site plans or if it has a permit.

In most cases, the commission rejects those permit requests. In 2009, it denied a request for a soft drink vending machine in front of . However, it has approved outside propane storage racks.

Members of the Planning Commission told the Walgreens manager they had aesthetic concerns about the machine.

Commission Member Nicholas Valeri asked the Walgreens manager if they RedBox could be put inside of the store. The manager replied that a Giant Eagle manager in Chardon told him that an outdoor RedBox was used 30 times as much as the one inside of the grocery store.

The commission also tabled a request at 7468 Tyler Road -- the same building that houses Miss Kimberly's Day Care, William Wolf & Co. and Cross Fit 440.

If the proposed banquet center were to host more than 100 people at the gathering or be more than 5,000 feet total it would have to add an internal sprinkler system to stop fires.

However, the people behind the permit request, Tania Klimo and her father Michael Santoli, said they would prefer to avoid that expense. Consequently, they are looking to see if they can make the proposed area smaller and limit the size of gatherings.

Commission Member Thomas Huth advised them that shrinking their business idea might ultimately make it unprofitable.

"Try to keep the numbers at a level that make sense for the business," he said.

The commission decided they needed more information from Klimo and Santoli about the proposed banquet hall's inside and outside layout before they could vote on a conditional use permit.