Planning Commission recommends rezoning of 416 West Wooster Street to allow two-unit dwelling

The Bowling Green Planning Commission on its January 2025 agenda recommended that City Council rezone a 0.307-acre parcel at 416 West Wooster Street from PR (Pedestrian Residential) to R2 (Medium Density Residential) to allow a two-unit dwelling, voting 4–2 to forward the recommendation.

The rezoning request came from the trustee-owner, Anissa Miller, who purchased the long-vacant former hospital and nursing-home building in 2023 and seeks to adaptively reuse the structure as two residential units. Planning Director Heather Sailor told the commission she reviewed the application against the city’s future land-use plan and “I do recommend approval of the request,” citing housing diversity, walkability and preservation of a historic structure.

Commissioners weighed preservation against the new zoning code’s restriction on duplexes in the PR district. Miller and her representatives argued rehabilitation is costly and that a two-unit configuration is the only financially viable option. Tom Vatsburger, the applicant’s agent, said the property ‘‘consists of approximately 0.307 acres’’ and that a recorded instrument grants driveway access to adjacent parking, so no curb cut will be required. Construction manager Sean Brennan said, “She’s already committed a great deal of funds and it’s gonna take a lot more,” describing extensive interior…