Changes to Mentor ordinances now will allow daycares to locate in residentially zoned areas, if new requirements are met.

City Council on Dec. 4 passed an amendment to city code to add child daycare centers as conditionally permitted uses in R-4 Single-family Residential Districts. The legislation included standards that will apply to such centers.

“There (are) two related issues,” Law Director Joseph Szeman said. “First, it’s about the potential to repurpose existing nonresidential structures in the R-4 district — a school building, for example — and, second, what type of use might be compatible.

“Child daycare centers may be a good fit as there are quite a lot of commonalities with schools.”

Up to now, daycares were only allowed in the Multi-Family (R-10) District, and conditionally permitted within commercial and industrial zoning districts.

The legislation, in part, reads: “Given the limited nature and number of nonresidential uses that are permitted within an R-4 district, if the use for which a commercial structure was constructed ultimately was not market-viable at that location, a single-purpose built commercial structure may potentially sit vacant indefinitely and become a blighting influence (on) the neighborhood.”

The Planning Commission reviewed and approved the changes last month. The commission earlier this year received application to rezone a former church on Lakeshore Boulevard for a daycare, but it was withdrawn by the applicant, Planning Director Kathy Mitchell said.

“The Planning Commission … determined that, with specific critical controls, the adaptive re-use of existing nonresidential structures within the R-4 Single Family Residential District as the sites for child daycare centers can provide a community asset given their existing proximity to the residential market area served by such centers,” the legislation says.

The following standards were established for regulating the issuance of a conditional-use permit for a daycare in any residentially zoned district:

• The child daycare center shall either be compatible with and accessory to an existing and lawfully conforming non-residential use on the parcel where it will be established, or, when it will be the principal use upon the parcel where it will be established, there is currently an existing nonresidential building which is proposed for adaptive re-use as a child daycare center.
• There is an existing nonresidential structure wherein the child daycare center will be located and there will not be any substantial additions to either the building, parking, or any other site improvements (except those required for Code compliance) either at the time of initial use or thereafter.
• The child daycare center will be located on a parcel with frontage only upon a minor collector, major collector, or an arterial street.
• Noise mitigation and preservation of the view amenity for adjacent properties shall be addressed via application of at least the minimum applicable buffering requirements.
• Hours of operation shall be daytime only, Monday through Friday.

A public hearing was held on the legislation, but no one spoke for or against it at the meeting.