By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
It’s official – Applebee’s is coming to the neighborhood.
The Bowling Green Zoning Board of Appeals voted 6-0 on Wednesday evening to grant the casual dining restaurant variances to build on the south edge of the city.
“We’ve heard a lot about Applebee’s coming to town,” dating back to 2014 when citywide planning efforts were underway, said Zoning Board of Appeals Chairperson Judy Ennis. “It’s been a hot topic.”
Applebee’s became the battle cry of Bowling Green residents who blamed city government for the lack of non-fast food franchise restaurants.
Seven years ago, the restaurant chain showed interest in the open lot in front of Home Depot on South Main Street. But nothing progressed, and the outcry for Applebee’s got louder – some serious, some sarcastic.
Matt Lewandowski, an engineer working on behalf of Applebee’s, said he was unaware of the mythical reputation of the restaurant. But he quickly learned, when he came to Bowling Green earlier this year and was met by laughter when he talked with city staff about the Applebee’s plans. Then when he went to the county engineer’s office, he got the same – chuckles of disbelief.
Lewandowski studied the property at 1175 S. Main St., which is already zoned B-2 general commercial, for other casual dining chains in 2020 and 2021. But after 12 designs, he ended up with Applebee’s as the best fit for the property.
The zoning board of appeals agreed, granting the three variances requests to:
- Allow the construction of a new building, which would encroach 15.5 feet into the 20 foot required rear yard setback to the east of the property.
- Allow parking to encroach one foot into the five foot required setback to the north.
- Allow 52 off-street parking spaces, rather than the required 59.
Back in 2016, the restaurant chain considered sites along East Wooster Street near Interstate 75, but decided on the South Main Street location, closer to U.S. 6 traffic. The restaurant will share the driveway used by Home Depot.
After Wednesday’s meeting, Lewandowski said he hopes to have designs submitted to the city within 60 days, with plans to start construction in the fall. He hesitated to predict a completion date, since he has not worked on an Applebee’s site before.
Bowling Green City Council member Bill Herald voiced his appreciation of Applebee’s arrival. Each year as he goes door-to-door to talk with his constituency, he gets questions about Applebee’s.
“Every year I will get somebody asking, ‘How come there’s no Applebee’s in Bowling Green?’” Herald said. Some go as far as expressing a conspiracy theory that Bowling Green is unfriendly to non-local businesses.
This should quiet those theories, he said. Though, “Then they can talk about why there’s no Outback in Bowling Green,” Herald said.
Herald asked Lewandowski to describe his experience as an outside developer coming into the city.
“This community has been fantastic,” Lewandowski said, listing the cooperation with the city planning and engineering departments. It’s unlike other communities where he is accustomed to being met with “pitchforks and torches,” he said.
“This is a very accommodating community to work in,” Lewandowski said.
And before anyone asks about the proposed Menard’s store, also in the same area of South Main Street – no, the city has not turned away the home supply store. The store’s application has not been withdrawn from the city planning office, according to BG Planning Director Heather Sayler.
Menard officials told Sayler the store had been focusing on its operations side – not expansion – during COVID.
“We’re absolutely building in Bowling Green,” Sayler said the company representative told her. “It’s a matter of when we build, not if we build there,” he said.
