The Bowling Green Planning Commission held the first public meeting in the new city building on Wednesday. (Peter Kuebeck | Sentinel-Tribune)
By Peter Kuebeck
The Bowling Green Planning Commission on Wednesday approved a preliminary plan for Wood Acres Subdivision, located along East Gypsy Lane Road.
The Wood County Board of Developmental Disabilities is currently proposing to place two respite facilities in the development.
According to a letter from Planning Director Heather Sayler to the commission, Andy Knopp, of Thomas Porter Architects, on behalf of the board of developmental disabilities, which owns the property, was requesting to subdivide approximately 18 acres on East Gypsy Lane Road. They will divided into eight parcels.
Also requested were several waivers, including a waiver of lot depth-to-width ratio for six lots, for a cul-de-sac to exceed 600 feet, and a waiver of the sidewalk requirement along East Gypsy Lane.
Sayler said on Wednesday that city staff had no concerns regarding the waiver requests.
According to Knopp’s letter, the site, currently zoned I-1 Institutional, would remain in that zoning and be controlled by the board “for the future development of facilities serving the developmentally disabled community directly by the Wood County Board of DD or by other state agencies or partner organizations.”
Regarding the request for a waiver of the sidewalk requirement, Knopp noted that along Gypsy Lane, “no properties east of our current parcel have established sidewalks. If we were to install sidewalk along Gypsy Lane Road, we would create a path that will lead to a dead end.”
Speaking at Wednesday’s meeting, Knopp said that “the purpose of the proposal is for the Wood County Board of Developmental Disabilities ultimately to create two – at this time – two residential respite homes onto two of the parcels that would be in this plat,” with the remainder for future institutional development.
“It would be to support adults and children with developmental disabilities of all behaviors and ages,” Knopp said of the planned respite homes.
The homes would be used, for instance, to provide a break for a caregiver or in the case of an emergency, he said.
“The facility would be operated by social workers that are all working with the individuals.”
Each of the units is planned for four bedrooms, with the potential for a wing to allow families to come and visit.
The requests, including the waivers, were unanimously approved.
According to Sayler’s letter to the commission, with the approval of the preliminary plan, the next stage in the subdivision review process is to submit construction plans to the city for review.
Once approved, normally infrastructure installation begins. When the owner or developer is ready to have the final plan reviewed and approved by the commission (the last step), they first have to provide a financial guarantee to the city for any work in the right-of-way that is not completed.
Additionally, the final plan is not given to the commission for review until city staff approves and the required fees are submitted. Once the commission approves the final plat, it can then be recorded.
In other business, the commission elected officers for the year. Bob McOmber was re-elected as chair, Joe Phillips was re-elected as vice chair, and Judy Ennis was re-elected as the commission’s representative to the zoning board of appeals, which she also chairs.
The commission met in council chambers at the new city administration building, 305 N. Main St.
“This is apparently the first public meeting in these new council chambers,” said McOmber.
Wednesday’s meeting was the first commission meeting held since April.
