By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Zoning can create good neighbors – sometimes.
On Wednesday evening, the Bowling Green Board of Zoning Appeals dealt with a couple issues involving questionable neighborly behavior. One was resolved, one not.
The neighbor issue not solved involves Vehtek manufacturing plant at 2125 Woodbridge Boulevard. The company had requested a variance to construct a 10-foot tall chain link fence with screening along the northern property line.
The fence was intended to partially conceal towers of racks piled up outside the Vehtek manufacturing plant – as high as 40 feet.
The stacks of racks are an eyesore, have caused the value of the neighbor’s home to drop, and have killed trees planted along Poe Ditch, the neighbor told the zoning board last month.
So the news that Vehtek was planning to clean up the property along Poe Road – or at least partially block it from view with a fence – was welcome news to the neighbor.
However, no one representing Vehtek attended the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting last month, so chairperson Judy Ennis suggested the matter be tabled until someone from the company could be present to answer the board’s questions.
But instead of showing up for the zoning meeting this month, company officials withdrew their request.
The zoning board of appeals members were not pleased.
“It was a lack of respect for the process,” Ennis said after Wednesday’s meeting.
It’s standard procedure for people seeking zoning changes or variances to appear at public meetings on the requests.
“The poor guy from Menards came all the way from Wisconsin,” Ennis said. “But the guy from Vehtek can’t come across town.”
The other zoning matters on Wednesday’s agenda were two variance requests from Craig and Marcele Fite, for properties at 136 and 140 Clay St. The Fites asked for permission to expand the existing driveways, which in the case of 136 Clay St. encroaches into the required three-foot setback for the property to the north.
A neighbor with multiple complaints showed up at last month’s zoning meeting, but the Fites were in Europe at the time. So this month, the neighbor, John Marcson, of 131 Liberty St., submitted his concerns by email.
Marcson said Fite moved the required zoning signs after one day, and did not wait for city approval to expand the driveways – well into Marcon’s setback area. Fite also paved the entirety of the backyards of both residences to create the most parking with crushed compacted asphalt debris.
“Mr. Fite’s properties are an eyesore, a nuisance and environmental hazard, and an encroachment into my property,” Marcson wrote.
Marcson, who has lived on Liberty Street for 30 years, called the lots on Clay Street “glorified slum college housing maintained by landlords that think they can do as they please, only asking for permission after getting caught.”
The Fites objected to that characterization.
“I really do take offense to that,” Craig Fite said. “He must not remember what that house looked like before we bought it.”
The home at 140 Clay was full of items from a hoarder, and trees were growing into the house, he said.
“We had neighbors stop by thanking us,” Fite said.
The properties were purchased at a sheriff’s sale. “We put a ton of money into them,” Fite said. “I’ve put at least $50,000 in every house we’ve bought in Bowling Green.”
“I really don’t want to be a bad neighbor,” Fite said. “I love Bowling Green. I enjoy taking crappy houses” and making them into nice homes.
Fite said the driveways extensions were needed to create enough parking for both houses, since there is no on-street parking in front of the two rentals.
But to qualify for a zoning variance, the owner must face some type of a “hardship.” When repeatedly asked for an explanation of their hardship, the owners said they wanted to make sure there was sufficient parking for the tenants and their guests, plus a driveway around the back of the homes so the tenants didn’t have to back out onto Clay Street.
That didn’t convince the zoning board of appeals members.
“I don’t see them having visitor parking as a hardship,” Chris Ostrowski said. Nor did the fact that the tenants would have to back out onto Clay Street seem to be a hardship, he added. “I back out of a driveway everyday,” he said.
Robert Waddle questioned the need to encroach on the setback.
“I have serious problems with the three feet to the north,” he said.
Nate Eberly agreed. “The setback is important to have.”
Though Marcele Fite said the three feet to the north was vital to the parking area, Craig Fite said he could remove three feet of the concrete.
“I didn’t know that was a concern of his,” Fite said of Marcson.
Fite also agreed to plant shrubbery between the parking area and Marcson’s home to prevent the car lights from shining into the home.
