Council, being mindful of the proud history of Bowling Green (the “city”) and of the importance of its cultural heritage in the everyday lives of its residents, and in recognition of the immense efforts and investments already made in historic properties by residents of the city, hereby declares as a matter of public policy that the restoration, rehabilitation, and overall preservation of the built environment are matters of public necessity involving the health, safety, prosperity, and welfare of the people. The purposes of this chapter are to:
(A) Protect historic resources in order to
(1) Foster civic pride and civic beauty;
(2) Stabilize and increase property values;
(3) Strengthen the economy by attracting customers to local businesses;
(4) Maintain and enhance the distinctive character of historic buildings, structures, sites, objects, landmarks and districts;
(5) Safeguard the heritage of the City of Bowling Green by preserving buildings, districts, landmarks, objects, sites, and structures which reflect elements of its culture, history, architecture, archaeology, or engineering;
(6) Protect and enhance the city's appeal to prospective residents, businesses, tourists, university students, faculty, and staff;
(7) Facilitate reinvestment in and revitalization of designated historic districts and adjacent neighborhoods; and
(8) Protect the investments already made by individual landowners in historic buildings and neighborhoods in the Bowling Green community.
(B) Establish procedures whereby certain historic landmarks, buildings, structures, sites, objects, and historic districts will be given that measure of protection afforded by the issuance of a “Certificate of Appropriateness” (COA) before certain alterations, demolition, or new construction can be undertaken;
(C) Maintain and enhance the distinctive historic character of certain assets or properties pursuant to this Code;
(D) Safeguard the architectural integrity of certain properties identified pursuant to this Code;
(E) Identify and safeguard Bowling Green's heritage by preserving properties of historic significance;
(F) Integrate the preservation of certain properties identified pursuant to this Code into public and private land use planning, management, and development; and
(G) Identify and resolve conflicts as early as possible to better preserve certain properties identified pursuant to this Code.
(Ord. 8878, passed 3-15-2021)