By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Construction of a new housing development in Bowling Green could begin as early as this summer.
On Monday evening, City Council cleared the way for a new 130 single-family home subdivision, featuring houses with starting prices of $225,000.
A public hearing was held prior to the council meeting for the rezoning of 37 acres at the southwest corner of Brim and Newton roads. The acreage, which is owned by the Bowling Green Economic Development Foundation, is currently zoned M-3 industrial.
But the city has tried for years to sell the property to industrial developers – but got no interest.
“We’ve tried to market that property for more than 20 years,” said Kati Thompson, the city’s economic director.
So Monday evening, City Council voted to change the zoning to R-2 residential.
In recent years, the housing market in Bowling Green has shrunk to dismal numbers. Thompson said when she asks local Realtors about residential listings in the city, the numbers are often in the single digits.
The addition of more housing in the community could aid the city in attracting and retaining business, Thompson said.
“We can’t effectively attract industry” without addressing the housing issue, she said during the public hearing.
“I think this is a wonderful opportunity for the city and I support this,” said council member Greg Robinette.
“I really applaud economic development and city administration for being so proactive,” said council member Rachel Phipps.
The need is critical with Abbott Laboratories building on the northern edge of Bowling Green – bringing 450 jobs and people in need of homes.
In response to the need for housing, the economic development office put out feelers for a developer of the site, and selected Triban Investment of Cleveland.
In a letter to the planning commission, Triban officials said they have been working with Bowling Green Economic Development for more than a year to make the project a reality.
“We intend to make a significant investment in this site in support of the strategic goals of the city of Bowling Green related both to the development of this specific property as well as the overall goal of increased levels of for-sale housing construction and home ownership,” the letter stated.
“Triban has a long history of working in a collaborative fashion with all stakeholders to find creative and economically viable solutions that result in successful development projects,” the letter said. “We are confident that rezoning this site for residential use will allow us to move forward with another successful project.”
“We think there is a strong market for residential new construction and a need for new housing stock, which will be a complement to the job growth in this area,” the letter said.
Triban will be working with K.Hovnanian to construct all the homes in the new subdivision. Construction is expected to begin this summer, Thompson said.
The development is near the BG Community Center, the Wood County Fairgrounds, and the BG Middle School and High School.
Just to the south of the new housing on Brim Road is the former Wall Street Journal facility, now operated by two companies, Vital and FHR North America LLC. When the businesses learned of the plans for a housing development, they reached out to Thompson’s office to talk about their expansion plans and the noise that may come with those plans.
So the industries and the subdivision developers have been discussing how they can be good neighbors, making accommodations such as adding mounding and trees between the properties, Thompson said.
