Bowling Green’s Zoning Board of Appeals on Wednesday approved a variance to reduce the required parking spaces for a planned apartment complex on South Dunbridge Road.

The issue drew substantial comment from council members and other speakers.

“I support this requested variance,” Councilman Greg Robinette told the ZBA during the meeting. “I think it’s important for the project, I think it’s important for Bowling Green.”

The issue concerned a variance to allow the construction of a 288-unit multi-family residential apartment complex, located along South Dunbridge Road, just north of 525 S. Dunbridge Road.

The land is just north of where a new assisted living facility is being constructed.

Nathan Waggner of Cash Waggner & Associates, the civil engineer of record for the project, requested the variance on behalf of the property owner, Whitson Properties LLC, to provide 576 off-street parking spaces – two spaces per unit – rather than the required 904 off-street parking spaces, or approximately 3.14 spaces per unit.

That would be a difference of 328 spaces, based on the city’s requirement of one space per 320 square feet.

In March, Bowling Green Council approved a rezoning request for the approximately 20.71-acre property from A-1 Agricultural zoning to R-4 Multiple Family Residential, High Density zoning.

During Wednesday’s meeting, Planning Director Heather Sayler spoke on the city’s ongoing efforts at overhauling its zoning code, and noted that they are looking at changing the minimum parking requirements for businesses.

“We know, bottom line, we do want to propose reducing parking requirements,” she said.

“The primary reason we’re asking for the variance is based on history,” Waggner told the ZBA. “This developer (East Lansing-based Management Resources Development) is an apartment developer. … He’s got history and knows his product, knows what parking he needs for his tenants and his clientele.

“Their market research is why they’re coming to Bowling Green,” Waggner continued. “They know there’s a lot of new industry coming to town and there’s a lot more coming that’s going to be on the way, and they want to be here and have rooftops and units before those come to town.”

He also noted that Bowling Green is short of housing units.

Brian McMahon, of Danberry National, also spoke in favor of the variance. He said that Wood County is experiencing extremely fast job growth, and that Bowling Green is being recognized as a preferred place to live.

“You are strategically located to where most of these jobs are going,” he said. “You are considered to be a safe community” with good services, retail and restaurants.

“One of the things that’s happening is there’s a need for housing,” McMahon said. “If we want to attract these young professionals, the reality is they can’t afford a home.”

“I think this is something that will complement your community and I think it’s something your community needs,” he said of the apartment project.

“I think this is a good project for the city,” said resident Adam Skaff. “Time is money. I also build houses. … Material costs are through the roof.

“The longer this waits and gets delayed, there’s going to be pressure on the” developer to raise prices or pull out of the project altogether, he warned.

Robinette, who also noted that the city is working to update its entire zoning code, said council does plan to address the parking issue.

“In my opinion, many – if not most – of the off-street parking requirements” are excessive, Robinette said, noting he will be advocating for rethinking and reducing them. He said he’s convinced “there’s also broad community support for easing the off-street parking requirements in Bowling Green.”

Councilman Bill Herald said he felt it would be beneficial for the property to have a multi-use path that could potentially link up to the one that already crosses Interstate 75. Such a path, he said, could appeal to renters and decrease the need for as many cars.

“If there are less parking places, there would be more room for them to use more of their property for the multi-use path,” Herald said. “Given their stated on-the-record desire to work with the city, given the demographics that they’re aiming for, reducing the parking so that it’s still one parking place per bedroom would all move towards the direction of reducing the parking places for this project.”

ZBA Chair Judy Ennis said that “as someone who worked for a store in retail, and we went in and remodeled a lot of stores,” if a developer wants to give up parking spaces “you know that they know what they’re doing.”

The ZBA voted 5-1 to approve the variance, with member Chris Ostrowski voting no. Ostrowski said prior to his vote that he believed the variance would pass, and voted no “just to show that there was some dissent and there was some concerns in the request.”

Councilman Jeff Dennis, who had also written a letter to the ZBA in favor of the variance which was read aloud during the proceedings, praised the ZBA’s decision in a statement issued Wednesday night.

“This was a great decision by the board that puts us one step closer to adding much-needed housing in Bowling Green,” Dennis said in the statement. “Mandatory minimum parking requirements are outdated regulations that increase construction costs significantly. Fortunately, the new zoning code our city is developing – which BG residents can view and comment on right now – will reform these outdated regulations and make it easier and more affordable to develop housing or open or expand a business in Bowling Green. That means more housing options, greater competition, and more affordable rent citywide.”

Also at the meeting, the ZBA:

• Unanimously approved a variance requested by Todd Overly, on behalf of Pinnacle Plastic Products, to allow the construction of a 35-foot by 6-foot banner – for one year – on the south side of the building at 513 Napoleon Road, which would exceed the 136 square feet maximum size allowed in the M-2 General Industrial Zoning district. A second variance, which requested the construction of a two-foot by four-foot directional sign on the south side of Napoleon, which would be an off-premise sign located at 510 Napoleon Road, was also approved unanimously.

• Unanimously approved a variance requested by Shanda Willman, 411 S. Summit St., to allow the construction of a 7-foot by 12-foot additional to an existing accessory structure – which has already been constructed – which would encroach 20 feet into the required 20-foot rear yard setback for an accessory building that is over 160 square feet in total size. The approval also included the requirement that Willman put gutters on the structure.