Recent progress on the renovation of the Burton Fox Inn has some Burton Village residents wondering if the work being done is permitted.
Recent progress on the renovation of the Burton Fox Inn has some Burton Village residents wondering if the work being done is permitted.
Zoning Inspector Rick Gruber told village council Aug. 27 he has seen the work Ross Hornak is doing on the front of the historic building on Burton Square and he doesn’t see a zoning issue.
In the last week, a crew has torn off the entire enclosed front porch of the structure and framed in another porch.
Gruber said Hornak is doing some reconstruction and, under the zoning code, what he has done is more along the line of a repair.
Hornak has not enlarged the footprint of the building and used the original foundation for what was once an ice cream parlor, Gruber said.
“I don’t think there is any zoning violation there,” he said.
The village architectural review board has approved the work on the inn, he said.
The construction site has been surrounded with yellow tape to warn people away from the piles of scrap from the demolition and a construction Dumpster is located on the west side of the building.
Gruber said he has been told some big equipment will be arriving soon to start the landscaping around the inn and Hornak has asked if he can landscape the part of the front yard that belongs to the village.
“Mr. Hornak would like to purchase that piece,” Gruber said.
However, Mayor Joe Hernandez said the village isn’t interested in selling it.
“We appreciate him taking the initiative on the property,” he said, adding the landscaping is a good idea and maintaining the yard on village property between the front of the new enclosed porch and the street is part of an owner’s civic duty.
“We appreciate him taking the initiative on the property,” Hernandez said.
“When he is done, that will look nice,” Gruber said.
Hornak hasn’t said what he has planned for the building when it is done, but he may be looking for tenants, Gruber said.
Council member Bonnie Richards said someone approached her asking about having another ice cream parlor at the front of the inn.
Ross and Dawn Hornak’s business, R&D Madison Properties LLC, owns the 1.28-acre parcel at 14646 Cheshire Street and the 0.86-acre parcel on the east side of it. The inn is zoned as a restaurant, cafeteria and/or bar, according to The Geauga County Auditor’s Office website.
Hornak bought the Burton Fox Inn, which had been deteriorating for about seven years, at auction more than a year ago and he has been making improvements to the property as weather and time allows. Hornak owns TRI Excavating and Construction and renovated another building on Burton Square, now called LuLu Tru Holistic Beauty and Wellness Spa and Salon.
The inn was built by James Pfeiffer in 1834 and originally stood on 5 acres. Over the years, it has also served as the village post office as well as a rooming house for travelers, according to local history sources.
