Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Code Changes topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bowling Green planning staff present broad zoning-code edits; public hearing set for April
Summary
Planning staff detailed proposed edits to Chapter 150 of the zoning code — chiefly to allow digital submissions, clarify vision-triangle measurements, tighten sign and lighting rules, and modify accessory-structure and fence rules. The commission will hold a public hearing in April before any vote.
Heather, a planning department staff member, reviewed a packet of proposed text amendments to Chapter 150 of Bowling Green's zoning code and explained that many edits reflect a shift from paper to digital applications.
"A lot of the changes that are being proposed are related to the city's process of changing from paper applications and submittals to digital," Heather said, describing a staff memo that lists each change and the reason for it.
Key proposed changes include removing the word "written" from multiple application and notice requirements so materials may be submitted and communications sent digitally; changing the way the vision-clearance triangle is measured from lot lines to the edge of the roadway to better reflect actual roadway conditions; and correcting a typo that misclassified telecommunications facilities in the comprehensive use table.
Staff also proposed several changes affecting property owners and businesses: accessory structures (for example, sheds) would not be allowed in front-yard setbacks even if 100 square feet or less; fence language would be aligned with the vision-triangle rules so fences taller than 2 feet are restricted in the triangle; and the outdoor-lighting and sign sections would be amended so bright illuminated or electronic signage must comply with the outdoor-lighting table and could be subject to enforcement on complaint.
The proposal would allow feather or similar temporary banner signs if they meet temporary-sign permit conditions (location, height, size) and are explicitly labeled temporary so they cannot be used as permanent signage.
Heather told the commission staff also recommends removing paper-only requirements in site-plan and zoning-certificate application lists (for example, eliminating the requirement to submit reproducible paper drawings and multiple hard-copy prints) and updating several wording inconsistencies in definitions, including sexually oriented-business definitions carried over from the old code.
Commission members asked for examples and clarifications. One member asked whether changing the vision-triangle measurement would produce large differences; Heather said the effect would vary but gave an extreme example where older lots that extend to the center of the road would otherwise create impractical triangles. Another member raised questions about the allowable size of building-identification signs downtown; staff said the new code already limits that type of sign to a maximum of six square feet and that additional allowances were proposed for most commercial and mixed-use zones except low-density residential.
Heather said a public hearing is required before the commission can vote and that the hearing will be held at the commission's next meeting in April. The commission did not vote on the code changes at the March 4 meeting and will take public comment at the April hearing.
The proposed edits as presented affect permitting and enforcement practices across the city — from how applications are filed and reviewed to how signs, fences and lighting are regulated — and staff emphasized the intent to use the changes to improve clarity and administrative efficiency.
The planning commission will take public comment at the April hearing and may return to individual edits for further clarification before any vote.
