The Bowling Green Zoning Board of Appeals on Wednesday approved a variance for a planned Culver’s restaurant in the city.
The matter passed unanimously, despite some concerns expressed about the number of signs planned for the property.
Thomas Yurysta, representing Proudfood Associates on behalf of Culver’s, requested the variance to allow the construction of a total of six signs – four wall signs and two signs on a pylon – which would exceed the maximum of three signs allowed for a business.
The two parcels involved in the variance are located on West Gypsy Lane Road in front of the Walmart location.
According to paperwork filed with the city, the variance was being sought “to meet Culver’s required signage of one sign on each building face and two signs on (a) pole sign.” The total combined area of the signage would be 329 square feet.
The proposed 4,600-square-foot restaurant would seat 124, with 100 seats indoors and the remainder on a patio.
Ben Gallevese, who would be the owner of the restaurant, said he hopes to open in April 2023.
Yurysta told the ZBA that “Culver’s has their own standard model which is put the signs on every face of the building. They like it on every side of the building. And they also like a pole or a pylon sign with the same oval sign on top and then they have the electronic message board underneath which lists the flavor of the day. That’s one of their main standard features. We are asking for six signs. Your code requires three signs.
“The six signs is what Culver’s wants from their franchises” Yurysta added later, “But we do meet the square footage, we’re under the square footage requirement. … It’s just we’re adding three more signs.”
“As usual, I’m always bothered by signs,” said ZBA member Rose Hess. “And when I drive to Walmart, the intersection drives me crazy. And I just feel like we’re going back to the ’80s where we’re inundated by signs and” granting these variances in order to work with the businesses.
“This one, to me, seems a little bit different,” said member Matt Bostdorff, “because you’ll only see two signs at any given time. … I think I would feel less inclined to support it if it was on a Wooster Street or a Main Street and you had six signs” all out by the road.
ZBA chair Judy Ennis said that she had visited the Culver’s location in Findlay, and that the signage was “tasteful.”
Also at the meeting, the board:
• Unanimously approved a variance sought by Ryan and Emily Scrimshaw, 1042 Gustin Ave., to allow the construction of a 6.5 foot-by-11 foot accessory structure, which would encroach five feet into the five-foot required side yard setback to the east, and would encroach five feet into the five foot required side yard setback to the north.
• Unanimously approved a variance sought by Simon Morgan-Russell, 426 Wallace Ave., to allow the construction of a six foot tall fence in the 25 foot front yard setback, which would be two feet taller than the four foot maximum allowed; the new fence would replace a current six foot tall fence put in place by a previous owner. The lot is a corner lot and the fence would be in the front yard that faces North Maple Street.
• Tabled a variance sought by Bryan Wiles, owner of Heartland Rentals LLC, to allow the construction of a single-family residence on two parcels located on Morton Avenue, behind 325 N. Maple St, which would encroach 15 feet into the 25 foot required front yard setback to the north, and would encroach 20 feet into the 30 foot required rear yard setback to the south. The parcels are zoned R-2 Single-Family Zoning District and do not meet the minimum lot size requirement, according to the ZBA agenda. After discussion, the ZBA said they wished to table the matter until their June meeting to learn about the availability of parking on Morton. The vote to table was unanimous.
• Unanimously approved a variance sought by Greg Kinder, 800 Deer Ridge Run, to construct an 11 foot by 26 foot addition for a third garage bay, which would encroach two feet five inches into the 10 foot required side yard setback to the north. The ZBA heard concerns from three residents of the Deer Hollow subdivision, including Galen Finn, who said that uniformity has been an important facet of the development. “We’re trying to maintain a very harmonious development,” Finn said, saying later “we’ve kept the continuity and the look of the development the same. I guess that’s what we’re trying to do here.”
Ennis noted that the work of the ZBA was concerned only with the variance, not with stipulations from the development’s homeowners’ association.
• Unanimously approved a variance sought by Jimmy McCune, on behalf of Wallace Communities and property owners Lloyd and Linda Fite, to allow the construction of a 96-unit multi-family residential apartment complex, which would provide 223 off-street parking spaces (2.17 spaces per unit) rather than the required 358 off-street parking spaces, a difference of 135 spaces, based on the requirement of one space per 320 square feet, and would exceed the 40% maximum lot coverage by approximately 10%, for a total of 50% lot coverage. The parcel involved is near the 900-1000 block of the east side of South Main Street, and zoned R-3 Multiple Family Residential, Moderate Density zoning.
