The long saga of rezoning our city is approaching its conclusion. The final Council meeting expected to address these issues will be held on Monday, May 15, at 7 p.m., in City Hall. This will be followed by a public hearing on Wednesday, May 17, at 6 p.m., in the Veterans Building at City Park. It is likely that Council members will vote on a new zoning plan at that time or soon thereafter.
The public is welcome to attend and comment at both of these events. It will probably be our last chance to voice concerns about the policies that will affect our homes for years to come.
Members of the Bowling Green Save Our Neighborhoods Group have spoken at every Council meeting since December. We’ve written letters to the news media, and circulated petitions about our opposition to new businesses in residential neighborhoods. We are grateful that Council has taken many of our concerns to heart and removed permitting by right from the plan for several business uses.
One provision that still concerns us is permission to convert any home in the near-downtown area into a duplex. We continue to doubt the claim that placing extra stress on our oldest housing stock will significantly remedy the shortage of affordable housing. Homes in this area are already among the most affordable in the city. Sadly, they tend to get snapped up by investment companies before would-be owner-occupants manage to bid. It is not realistic that young people will better be able to buy homes if they can remodel and rent out half the property.
Fortunately, Fourth Ward representative Bill Herald has announced that he plans to offer an amendment to delete the duplex provision. We applaud Mr. Herald’s decision, and ask all our supporters to contact Council members urging them to vote in favor (find phone numbers and emails at bgohio.org). Another amendment would delay the implementation of new zoning for one year. This will allow owners of historic buildings to get their homes listed with our local Historic Preservation Commission, protecting our older neighborhoods and downtown.
Whatever your viewpoint, please make your wishes known. Our city government has responded to citizens’ opinions. We hope they will continue to do so.
Vassiliki Leontis
Bowling Green
