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 deterioration that requires substantial rebuilding.

Neighbors and local groups were split. Erin Gallagher, who lives directly west of the property at 422 West Wooster Street, said she had ongoing problems tied to the neighboring building and told the commission, “There is nothing left to preserve in the home.” Members of Bowling Green Save Our Neighborhoods urged the commission to uphold the 2023 zoning code that generally disallowed new duplexes in PR and recommended that any exception first be tied to formal historic designation. Rose Drain told the commission BG Save Our Neighborhoods “supports adhering to the zoning regulations passed by city council in 2023.”

Applicant testimony and contractor statements described work already done to stabilize the building, including a recently replaced roof, and the owner agreed on the record to seek a historic overlay zoning for the property, a change that would require review by the Historic Preservation Commission before most exterior alterations. Planning staff noted the parcel lies in the Boomtown Historic District, and staff recommended the overlay as part of a path to preserve the building’s architectural character while allowing the proposed residential use.

The commission’s recommendation is advisory; City Council must hold its own public hearing and make the final decision. Judy, who reported on recent Zoning Board of Appeals business during the same meeting, summarized several variance decisions from December and January (see "Votes at a glance").

Votes at a glance

- Planning Commission recommendation on rezoning, 416 West Wooster Street (parcel B08-510-240-411-38000): Request to rezone from PR (Pedestrian Residential) to R2 (Medium Density Residential) to allow a two-unit dwelling. Recommendation to approve forwarded to City Council by roll call vote: Yes — Miss Ennis, Mr. Macomber, Mr. Phillips, Mr. Remus; No — Miss Broadwell, Miss Lee; Absent — Miss Stalter, Mr. Waddle, Mr. Boddy. Outcome: recommendation approved, 4–2. (Mover/second not specified in transcript.)

- Zoning Board of Appeals (reported by Judy) - Matthew Reva, 730 Coleman Avenue: variance to allow a deck encroaching into a required 25-foot front-yard setback; granted (Dec. 11 meeting). - Anthony Wolf / Pin Point Properties, LLC, 217 South College Avenue: variance to allow a 30'×45' one-unit dwelling on a lot 10 feet narrower than the 60-foot minimum; granted (Dec. 11 meeting). - Orin Keller, 905 Lambert Drive: multiple variances for additions (sunroom, patio extension, front canopy and gable extension) encroaching rear/side/front setbacks; granted (Jan. 8 meeting). - Aaron Jones / Next Fence for Michelle Ruehl, 985 West Wooster Street: variance for a 6-foot fence that encroaches past the front-facing elevation of the adjacent principal structure; not granted (Jan. 8 meeting). - Carl and Christine Lang, 820 Pine Valley Drive: variance to allow a covered patio encroaching 2'5" into the 30-foot rear-yard setback; granted (Jan. 8 meeting).

Why it matters

Planning staff framed the rezoning as an example of adaptive reuse that would restore a long-vacant historic building, add housing close to downtown and nearby institutions such as Bowling Green State University and the hospital, and conform to multiple objectives in the city’s future land-use plan. Opponents cautioned that the city’s recent zoning update deliberately limited duplexes in the PR district to protect neighborhood character and suggested the council consider a code amendment to allow narrowly defined exceptions tied to formal historic designation.

What’s next

The Planning Commission’s approval is a recommendation; City Council will schedule its own public hearing and make the final decision on the rezoning. The applicant indicated she will apply for a historic overlay designation; if granted, the Historic Preservation Commission would review exterior changes under the city’s preservation code (chapter 158). The applicant and neighbors were urged to continue direct communication about screening and site details before any redevelopment proceeds.