Osborne Heirs Want Farm Re-zoned for Hotel

The heirs to the well-known Osborne Farms are asking Mentor to rezone approximately four acres of the property, partly owned by the city, for a hotel. The land is currently zoned for home lots of at least five acres apiece.

Representatives of the estate are proposing to rezone it to interchange service, which would allow a hotel. This would boost the value of the land, allowing it to be sold. Mentor’s share of the land has been about five acres since an interchange was built in 2003.

Town development director Ronald Traub calls the land, “a gateway to the city.”

The Mentor Planning Commission reviewed the estate’s preliminary request this month. George Smerigan, an urban planner representing the Osbornes, hopes to be able to answer any questions or requests for information in April.

The City Council would then need to approve the deal before being sent to a vote by the public, potentially in November.