The former Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple building is set to be demolished after Beachwood City Council voted unanimously on Oct. 5 to designate the property a blighted area.

Beachwood Law Director Todd Hunt said before the vote that the need for the site at 23737 Fairmount Blvd. to be declared a blighted one is because the city could possibly take advantage of potential financial benefits that are available for urban renewal, when a rundown area is revitalized and put back to use, projects under Chapter 725 of the Ohio Revised Code.

“The current planned demolition, of which you passed a motion this evening to go out for competitive bids, is not dependent on a formal determination of blighted area under the statue,” Hunt said at the Oct. 5 meeting. “That is something which is in the purview of city council and our own ordinances. But, a blighted designation must be on the project prior to its demolition in order to preserve the advantages of the urban renewal statues if, and I emphasize if, they are needed for future development.”

Hunt said that the future of the Fairmount Temple property is unknown at this time, but said Beachwood is committed to pursuing development of it, “which was requested by a majority of the citizens over a year ago.” He said the demolition would remove the current health, safety and blight conditions that the building and parking areas currently have, and it would take care of the inadequate sanitary and storm sewer facilities on the property.

“That blight designation is limited to those things on that particular property,” Hunt said, clarifying that it does not apply to the surrounding residential neighborhoods or properties. “The demolition itself will improve the property value of that property as well as surrounding properties.”

Hunt cited a fire on April 13, 2023, and a lack of restoration of those damaged areas, along with asbestos in the building, as other causes that bring the property to a blight designation.

Hunt also said that the city is not entering into a financial agreement with the passage, after being asked by councilman Alec Isaacson, and confirmed that a funding structure, whether it be through bonds or tax incentives, would need to be approved by city council, which also has the ability to strip the blight designation if it desired.

Councilwoman Ali Stern said at the meeting that the building is not generating revenue for the city and is in need of being demolished and that by declaring the property a blighted area, “it protects our options.”

“And more options are always better than fewer options,” she said. “Until we actually have financing agreements or terms in front of us, what this does is allows us to take all future considerations before us without limiting our path forward. Moving forward with a blight designation, all it does is preserve financing options for future redevelopment. It does not commit myself or any of my colleagues to a particular financing structure. We are not committed to pursuing tax exemptions, and we are not committed to pursuing future development agreements under conditions we do not consider to be fair or advantageous to the city or our residents.”

Shana Wallenstein, a Beachwood resident, speaking during citizen’s remarks before the ordinance was introduced, said that the temple is deteriorating and environmental needs have to be addressed, but questioned why the city didn’t pursue demolition sooner.

She also said that residents deserve to know what specific financing options and redevelopment powers the city wants to preserve.

“Which of these options would be available without declaring this property blighted,” Wallenstein said. “And most importantly, if the city can demolish and remediate the property without this designation, is its primary principle purpose actually to establish the legal framework for financing a future redevelopment?. …If council is being asked to establish the legal foundation that could later support tax exemptions, pilots, urban renewal bonds or other public financing for private redevelopment, residents should understand that before not after the designation is approved.”

Mike Burkons, a Beachwood resident who served on city council from 2020 to 2024, expressed concern about a blight designation opening the door to tax exemptions, tax increment financing or other incentives being given to future developers, which would take money away from the county to support publicly funded institutions.

“In Beachwood, on this property, is there any argument that this development would not occur if not for the TIF,” he said at the meeting. “I don’t think you can (argue that) because when we put out an RFQ (Request for Quotation), nine developers responded hoping to be chosen as a developer that would not only buy the property from the city, but also pay to knock down the temple and build all the private roads, sewers and infrastructure.”

Burkons said the city could seek a TIF or property tax increment financing or abatement because “as it turns out the $8 million (that the city paid for the property) seems to be significantly more than any of the nine developers who wanted to buy it are willing to pay for it.”

“This happens, this sucks, it happens all the time,” he said. “In the real world, when someone overpays for a property, they either hold it, and that costs a lot of money, or they sell it, eat the loss and move on. That’s what we should do. We should not sit there and take advantage of a loophole to put a TIF and property tax abatement on this property.”

Mayor Justin Berns has previously said there is not a plan to grant anyone an abatement for the property.

In a news release sent by Berns in September, he said that the city could not reach an agreement with potential developers to work on the former Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple project, citing rising construction, material and fuel costs, along with new and expanded tariffs and rising interest rates, as the biggest obstacles.

The city entered into an agreement with the leadership at the former Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple to buy the temple’s property for $8 million in June 2024.

The 17-acre property was home to Fairmount Temple from 1957 to July 2024, when the Reform temple, which was founded in 1842, merged with The Temple-Tifereth Israel to become Congregation Mishkan Or. The new congregation is at 26000 Shaker Blvd. in the Jack & Lilyan Mandel Building in Beachwood.

In August 2025, the city announced that it had entered the preliminary stages of a development agreement for the project, which was expected to mostly feature single-family units geared for older adults.

The city had been negotiating with three developers: Beachwood-based Orlean Company, Chardon-based Payne & Payne Builders and Moreland Hills-based Heritage Development Company. The team was selected in July 2025 following the city’s request-for-qualifications process, Beachwood communications director Ben Lombardi had told the Cleveland Jewish News.

Berns said in the September 2026 news release that the property is still an important asset for the community, and the city is still seeking to create more housing options for older adults, allowing them to remain in Beachwood as they age.

To read more about this story and for more community news from Beachwood, search cjn.org/beachwood.