A recently-advertised event space in an industrial building on Auburn Road gave rise to concerns the Geauga County Building Department has not inspected the structure.
A recently-advertised event space in an industrial building on Auburn Road gave rise to concerns the Geauga County Building Department has not inspected the structure.
Auburn Township Zoning Inspector Frank Kitko told Auburn Township Trustees Aug. 5 the former garage — now remodeled and called the Cleveland Warehouse — recently held an open house.
Pictures on Facebook show a crowd of attendees at Cleveland Warehouse, which is owned by Clark Miller.
The warehouse website said, “This new event space is unique in every way with furnishings designed and created by the owner” and that the operation creates handcrafted, industrial-style furniture, custom-fabricated and made-to-order.
The two-story structure at 18885 Auburn Road, formerly Brown’s Machine Shop, sits on 3.54 acres and was purchased May 18, 2023, by Miller, according to the Geauga County Auditor’s Office website.
“We have a situation where there is a party center in an industrial building,” Kitko said, adding the township board of zoning appeals would meet on the matter.
“It’s a commercial structure. They are inviting the public into a building that has been a manufacturing structure for years. It’s not built to accommodate a large number of people,” Kitko said. “This has gone on for more than a month. It’s coming to the board of zoning appeals next week.”
A neighbor on the sparsely-populated road called the zoning office to complain about loud music emanating from the building into the early morning hours, he said.
How many people can legally and safely occupy the building at the same time is still unknown.
Fire Chief John Phillips said there is no occupancy limit sign. In order to post one, the building has to be inspected.
“We sign off on the occupancy permit after the building department issues it,” he said, adding the building department takes messages, but does not return calls.
Kitko said he sent the owner a letter explaining the steps he needs to take because the structure violates zoning, but he did not know if the owner sent blueprints of the building renovations to the county.
“(The owner) was told they have to go to the building department,” Kitko said.
Geauga County Chief Building Official Dan Spada said in a phone interview Aug. 6 a building inspector visited Cleveland Warehouse in early June and Miller said he would get his plans to the county but, so far, the plans have not arrived.
Spada said the structure should have an occupancy permit from when it was originally built, but, if the use has changed, a new permit is needed.
The township zoning, fire and building departments need to coordinate, he said.
If the property is zoned for industrial use, furniture manufacturing is still permitted and the original occupancy holds, he added.
But, if that changes, they need to resubmit their plans, have an inspection and a new occupancy permit, he said.
“They can hold a gathering as long as it’s not the structure’s primary use,” Spada said, adding, however, if the occupancy goes from, for instance, 20 people to 300 people, “that’s a different kind of gathering.”
The Cleveland Warehouse website said its primary purpose is furniture manufacturing.
Its Facebook page added, “If you’d like to book the space for a private event, please feel free to PM and we’d be happy to discuss further and give you our list of preferred vendors.”
Trustee Mike Troyan said in a phone interview Aug. 6 the township is trying to keep the party center craze under control.
People think they can rent any large outbuilding as a party center, but there are permit requirements.
“We have 2,600 properties in Auburn and potentially 2,600 party centers,” he said. “Nobody wants to go through zoning.”
Both the township zoning office and Miller did not respond to requests for further comment prior to press deadline Aug. 6.
