By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
COVID was not good for new construction in Bowling Green – but household pools, hot tubs and fence permits did just swimmingly last year.
Bowling Green Planning Director Heather Sayler gave a report to City Council Monday evening on the zoning and construction statistics for 2020.
Construction of new homes was down, while home additions were up. New commercial, industrial and institutional construction were also down.
But overall, the zoning permit numbers nearly balanced out – with increases seen in permits for fences, pools and hot tubs.
The zoning permits granted were not far off from the previous year – with 414 in 2019 and 405 in 2020.
“Considering the COVID-19 pandemic economic impacts, permits were not down significantly as originally anticipated,” the annual report stated.
Following are some of the statistics reported:
Residential zoning permits:
- Construction of new homes dropped from 35 in 2019 to 23 in 2020.
- Accessory building construction dropped from 72 in 2019 to 43 in 2020.
- Home additions were up from 32 in 2019 to 37 in 2020.
- Fences jumped from 97 in 2019 to 127 in 2020.
- Pool and hot tub permits more than doubled from 18 in 2019 to 37 in 2020.
Commercial zoning permits:
- New commercial construction went from three in 2019 to one in 2020.
- Sign permits dropped from 41 in 2019 to 22 in 2020.
Industrial zoning permits:
- New industrial construction went from two in 2019 to one in 2020.
Institutional zoning permits:
- New institutional construction dropped from five in 2019 to one in 2020.
- Institutional additions went from zero in 2019 to two in 2020.
New construction permits for businesses were granted to
- Speedway at 1650 E. Wooster St.
- WMOG Investment warehouse at 2371 Woodstream Drive.
- Bowling Green Healthcare assisted living facility, South Dunbridge Road.
Permits were granted for commercial/industrial additions, alterations or change-in-use to:
- Wild Bill’s Tobacco, 1060 N. Main St., interior alteration.
- Floyd Craft, 123 S. Church St., first floor remodel.
- Randy Roberts, 141 E. Wooster St., second floor offices to apartments.
- BG Beerworks, 322 N. Grove St., expanded indoor and outdoor seating.
- Action Rentals, 130 S. Prospect St., added apartments, second floor.
- Walmart, 131 W. Gypsy Lane Road, alteration to parking for grocery pick-up.
- NovaVision, 524 E. Woodland Circle, addition.
- Bowling Green Manor Care, 1021 W. Poe Road, addition.
- Wood County Board of Developmental Disabilities, 1921 E. Gypsy Lane Road, addition.
The 23 new homes construction in the city were on East Merry Street, East Bay Harbor Court, North Enterprise Street, Fourth Street, Pine Valley Drive, Tomahawk Lane, Timber Ridge Drive, Windjammer Drive, Heather Court, Saint George Circle, Cambridge Boulevard, Winterwood Court, West Bay Harbor Court, Barnstable Lane and Conneaut Avenue.
New resident newsletters were mailed to 230 households in 2019, compared to 234 in 2020.
