Bowling Green Planning Commission members Nate Spitler (from left), Judy Ennis, Chair Bob McOmber, Joe Phillips and Mark Remeis.
Peter Kuebeck | Sentinel-Tribune
The Bowling Green Planning Commission on Wednesday unanimously recommended that council approve a rezoning request that would pave the way for a new housing development in the city.
The matter will now go before council for their consideration. The commission held a public hearing at Wednesday’s meeting.
“We all know Abbott’s coming in a couple of years and they’re talking about employing 500 people right off the bat,” said commission Chair Bob McOmber. “We’d like to have some housing for those people” that would be affordable for “the more average employee.”
The request is to rezone approximately 36.89 acres located at the southwest corner of Newton and Brim roads from M-3 Business Park zoning classification to R-2 Single-Family Residential zoning classification. The applicant is Kati Thompson, on behalf of the Bowling Green Community Development Corporation.
According to the application for the zoning change, the land is currently used for agricultural purposes.
“Bowling Green Economic Development has been working to attract housing developers to Bowling Green to address the housing shortage,” the application reads. “A regional developer is interested in building a 150-home subdivision on this parcel.”
The application further states that “the property was marketed for industrial use for (more than 20) years with no success. Industrial growth is taking place on the north and east areas of Bowling Green while residential growth is happening on the west. Residential use of this property aligns with natural development patterns.”
Speaking at Wednesday’s meeting, Thompson noted that while the original estimate was for approximately 150 homes, that has been revised down to about 130, with a starting price around $225,000. She said that if the new zoning is ultimately approved, it is hoped building will begin this summer.
Thompson also noted that Vital, a company located in the former Wall Street Journal building which is located near the proposed development, brought a few concerns to their attention about the project, and they, the developer and the builder have been working through the issues in recent weeks.
“We’ve been able to reach some point of understanding, I guess, to be able to move forward,” Thompson said. “Everyone wants to be a good neighbor and move forward.”
During the public comment portion of the discussion, resident Donald Scherr said he opposed the zoning change, saying the city didn’t need more single family residences, but affordable housing in the form of townhouses and rowhouses, with parking and common land for recreation.
Julie Smith Maekask also said she was concerned about the $225,000 price tag for the homes, wondering “whether or not that’s going to be affordable for many people.”
“I think everybody agrees there is a need for more housing in Bowling Green,” McOmber said, adding that $225,000 would not purchase a large or ornate home these days.
“Your comments about pricing and what is considered to be a lower price or not high-end is accurate,” said commission member Mark Remeis. “Today, what a family or person could get for $225,000 is a lot different than it was five years ago.
“There’s a massive gap in our market for moderately-priced homes” in the $200,000 to $275,000 range, he said. Remeis also noted that Bowling Green is considered part of the Toledo regional real estate market, and that in the last two years, the single smallest market in the region has been Bowling Green.
“A huge part of that is the lack of new construction as well,” Remeis said. “I don’t think we need any more $400, $450,000 homes that are put up. But anything in that range of $225,000 to under $450,000 is an absolute need.”
“We do need less expensive, more affordable housing of all varieties, and I, too, think this fits into that,” said commission member Nate Spitler.
The commission also approved a preliminary plan with waiver requests for Cogan’s Crossing Plats 9 to 14.
According to a document from Planning Director Heather Sayler to the commission, the preliminary plan for the Plats 8 to 14 was approved in December of 2020, and required approval again since, under the city’s codified ordinances, “a preliminary plan is valid for one year.
One change since the original approval is that planning commission approved the Final Plat for Plat 8 on Aug. 4, 2021. Thus, this preliminary plan was updated to include Plats 9-14.” Additionally, Sayler indicated that the applicant, Shane Huntley of Kleinfelter, Inc., for the owner, Blue Creek LLC, is requesting waivers for “lots 183 through 191 to exceed the 2.5 width to depth ratio that is required” under the codified ordinances. “Waivers to the Subdivision Regulations can be approved by Planning Commission only. These waivers were also the same in the prior approval in 2020.
If the preliminary plan is approved, Sayler’s message stated, the next stage in the subdivision review process is to submit construction plans to the city for review. Once approved, normally infrastructure installation begins. When the owner or developer is ready to have the final plat reviewed and approved by the commission (the last step), they first have to provide a financial guarantee to the city for any work in the right-of-way that is not completed. Additionally, the final plat is not given to the commission for review until city staff approves and the required fees are submitted. Once the commission approves the final plat, it can then be recorded.
