The east-central area of Strongsville, OH, currently has an auto repair shop with a four-year history that wants to move to the south side.
The Strongsville Planning Commission granted approval in September for Chieffalo’s Auto Repair, currently located at the northwest corner of Ohio 82 and W. 130th St., to construct a new shop on Pearl Road between Drake and Boston roads.
Owner Sam Chieffalo said he plans to begin building the new repair shop in the following two to three months, with plans for it to open in March. He said land removal would shortly start.
The vacant Pearl parcel was purchased for $105,000 in June, according to the Cuyahoga County Fiscal Office, by Chieffalo’s Properties LLC. The lot is approximately 1 1/3 acres in size and is located off of Pearl’s west side, just south of Ellsworth Drive.
To construct the new business, Chieffalo required and was granted a conditional use permit by the planning authority. The Pearl lot is located in a general business district where auto repair shops are only occasionally allowed.
A zoning variance for Chieffalo was also approved by the city’s Board of Zoning and Building Appeals. The board approved a 96-foot-wide lot in this instance, even though city statute stipulates lots must be at least 150 feet wide.
Ken Evans, a zoning board member, said during a Sept. 21 meeting that Chieffalo’s land and other lots along Pearl existed before the city increased the minimum lot width to 150 feet.
