(A) Intent. The Central Business District promotes the vitality of Bowling Green’s historic downtown with buildings close to the street, shopfronts with transparent facades, and a broad mix of uses.
(B) Lot, building, and design standards. Lot, building, and any applicable design standards are set forth in the following tables. The standards in Table 15 shall apply to any new development or an expansion of an existing building by more than 20% of GFA.
(C) Uses and use standards. Land in this district may be used only for permitted and conditionally permitted land uses. Uses and use standards are set forth in Article III.
CB District Standards | |
Front Yard Setback | 10 ft. max. for structures with no front patio; 15 ft. max. for structures with a front patio |
Side Yard Setback | 0 ft. min. |
Rear Yard Setback | 0 ft. min. and 30 ft. max. if rear yard does not abut a residential zone or district; 30 ft. min. and no max. if rear yard abuts a residential zone or district. |
Structure Height | 35 ft. min. |
Commercial Ground Floor Area | 100% of building’s ground floor area min. |
Permitted Sign Types | See § 150.82 for sign standards |
Balcony Location | Allowed only on rear elevations and exposed side elevations. |
Table 14: Regulatory standards for lots and structures in the CB District.
Building Design Standards | Central Business District |
Building Massing | Buildings should be taller than they are wide and should appear as a row of buildings. |
Primary Facades | 70% of street frontage must be devoted to front facade. No service drive curb cuts are allowed within the building street wall frontage. Building entrances shall be at the front facades and articulated as significant public entrances and may be emphasized with canopies or similar features to provide a minimum clearance of 9 ft. above the sidewalk. |
Retail Floor to Floor Heights | 16 ft. min. |
Building Corners | Building corner height may be increased by up to 10 feet to articulate key architectural corners. |
Building Rooflines | Predominant roof form shall be flat and parapeted. Vertically projecting elements or elevated sloped roof forms are allowed at prominent building corners. Roofs shall be considered a visible elevation and shall be designed with features, materials and patterns that reflect the character of the building. |
Building Transparency/ Fenestration | The maximum length of any segment of a street-fronting ground-floor facade without transparency is 20 ft. Building fenestration at floors above street level shall include a minimum of 40% openings or windows. While punched windows are encouraged, substantially increased openings or all-glass walls are allowed in recessed or special corner feature areas. Reflective or dark tinted glass is prohibited. Street level storefronts shall have transparent glass. |
Storefronts | Storefronts shall be provided for no less than 75% of the length of street- fronting ground floor front facades. Storefront sills shall be no higher than 3 ft. above the adjacent sidewalk and tops of storefront openings shall be no less than 10 ft. above the adjacent sidewalk. All ground-level retail shall have its own entrance opening directly to a street. Storefronts shall continue at the exposed side of buildings for no less than 40 ft. from the front facade. |
Gutters | Flat roofs should drain to internal roof drains and/or to the rear, leaving street- fronting facades free of gutters and downspouts. Roofs may be occupiable and embellished for amenity use. Stair and elevator access to roof shall be integrated into the core architecture. |
Lighting | Lighting shall be aimed downward at the building such that no light projects above the fixture. |
Building Equipment | No mechanical or utility equipment may be located within 20 ft. of the street- fronting facade or corner. No mechanical systems shall be visible from any street. Unit exhaust and louvers are not allowed on facades - systems shall route through roof. |
Table 15: Building Design Standards for the Central Business District Table. These building standards shall apply to any new development or an expansion of an existing building by more than 20% of GFA.
(Ord. 9098, passed 6-12-2023)