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Bowling Green commission approves programmatic agreement to speed HUD-funded home repairs
Summary
The Historic Preservation Commission voted to sign a programmatic agreement with the Ohio State Historic Preservation Office to exempt routine HUD-funded home repairs from full Section 106 review when specified conditions are met, allowing faster work on health-and-safety repairs for low- and moderate-income households.
The Bowling Green Historic Preservation Commission voted to approve a programmatic agreement with the Ohio State Historic Preservation Office that will streamline historic-review requirements for certain HUD-funded home repair projects.
Matt Snow, the City of Bowling Green’s community development administrator, told commissioners the city’s federally funded home repair program addresses health-and-safety repairs for low- to moderate-income households within city limits and “we are required to comply with section 106, historic preservation act requirements.” He said the state office has identified specific repair activities that it considers to have no impact on historic properties and that formalizing an agreement would “streamline the review process” for those activities.
Snow said the activities listed in the draft agreement include “repairs like furnaces, air conditioners, water heaters, in kind roof replacements, gutters and work completed on mobile homes.” He told the commission the city’s annual report to the state included 21 properties, six of which required a full historic review; the remaining projects included exemptions for mobile homes and HVAC and in-kind roof replacements under the prior agreement.
Commissioners asked whether local review would still occur for properties within local historic overlays. Snow said the city would continue to bring projects to the local commission when the work touches properties within local historic districts or individually identified local landmarks and that local rules would continue to apply.
Will Radebusch moved that the chair sign the programmatic agreement on the commission’s behalf; Jeff House seconded. The roll call vote was recorded with all members present voting in favor and none opposed. Snow said the mayor will also sign and that the city needs to return the agreement to the state by March.
Supporters said the agreement will reduce delays in urgent situations — for example, when a furnace fails in winter — by avoiding a 30-day state review and a multi-page Section 106 report for activities the state has already identified as no-impact.
The commission approved the motion and indicated a signature line on the agreement would be completed following the meeting.
