Planning Commission Tables Proposal for Halloween Haunted House

Though it’s only February, an event group is already preparing for a new Halloween Haunted House attraction in Mentor. But the Mentor Planning Commission wants to make sure it doesn’t turn into a nightmare.

Halloween Attractions LLC applied for a conditional use permit to open a Halloween Haunted House in a 28,000-square-foot section of an industrial complex at 8200 Tyler Boulevard.

The building is zoned for heavy manufacturing use. A conditional use permit is required to allow Halloween Attractions LLC to hold its seasonal event, which is expected to attract thousands of patrons.

 At its , the Mentor Planning Commission unanimously tabled the conditional use permit based on a recommendation from Mentor Planning Administrator Aric Spence.

 In 2008, another Halloween event planning group ran a haunted house, Pandora’s Box, at then-vacant Bard manufacturing plant on Heisley Road.

Event planners secured a conditional use permit from the planning commission in September. City officials only had a month to ensure the building was in compliance with Mentor’s building codes before Pandora's Box opened in October.

“It was a nightmare for the building department because of the amount of resources and time they had to throw into the (Pandora’s Box) event to try to get the building in compliance with  city codes,” said Spence. “We need time to review this and look at it.”

According to a city staff report, the engineering and fire departments have a number of concerns about the fire safety and interior construction of the proposed haunted house.

For example, the Mentor Fire Department is requesting additional information regarding the sprinkler and smoke detection systems, and the Mentor Building Department says a building permit is needed for required interior alterations in the haunted house.

John Eslich, who spoke on behalf of Halloween Attractions, said the event group will work with Mentor building and fire officials to make the haunted house attraction comply with city building and fire codes.

In other action, the Mentor Planning Commission also tabled a conditional use permit for Fit Solutions Inc., which runs Jazzercise classes, at 8693 Mentor Avenue. The permit was tabled because of insufficient parking space issues and noise concerns voiced by adjacent businesses.

The commission also approved a conditional use permit that will allow Dr. William Fraser, a veterinarian, to construct a 1,000-square-foot addition at Brightwood Animal Hospital at 9640 Old Johnnycake Ridge Road.

In other business, T-Mobile and the city of Mentor withdrew an application for a conditional use permit to allow a wireless telecommunication tower at 8350 Carpenter Road.