(A) Intent.
(1) The Bowling Green Gateway District (“BG Gateway District”) is established to promote the development of a higher intensity, urban neighborhood center along E. Wooster Street between Manville Avenue/Thurstin Street and Enterprise Street serving as a gateway and vibrant connection between Bowling Green State University and Downtown Bowling Green. The BG Gateway District respects existing surrounding development patterns while promoting the desired development patterns along this important gateway.
(2) The following are the desired characteristics of the BG Gateway District:
(a) A mixture of storefront retail, professional offices, and dwelling units located in townhouses, apartment buildings, and in the upper stories or rear of mixed-use buildings;
(b) Buildings with active building facades set at or close to the sidewalk; and
(c) Pedestrian-oriented scale with sidewalks wide enough for activation, and regularly-spaced street trees that promote a walkable environment.
(B) Applicability. This section contains the use regulations for all property and development standards for new construction within the BG Gateway District.
(C) Major Development Site.
(1) The BG Gateway District includes an approximately four-acre major development site at the corner of Manville Avenue/Thurstin Street and E. Wooster Street, which is referred to as the “Major Development Site”. The Major Development Site forms the entrance gateway to the East Wooster mixed-use corridor and extends north along Thurstin Street to East Court Street, which is also well-traveled by students and the daytime worker population.
(2) This chapter contains specific use and development regulations applicable to the Major Development Site. Except as otherwise set forth herein, all regulations of the Zoning Code shall apply to the Bowling Green Gateway District, and, where any regulations conflict, the provisions of this Article II shall govern and control.
(3) Buildings and structures containing only one use are not permitted in the Major Development Site.
(4) Parking within the Major Development Site shall take place in parking structures only, provided, however, that up to 10% of the total parking area may be located on surface parking areas in the rear yard area.
(D) Permitted uses.
(1) 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.
(2) Some uses may be permitted on the first floor of a structure in the Bowling Green Gateway District but may not be permitted on upper floors. Some other uses may not be permitted on the first floor of a structure in the Bowling Green Gateway District but may be permitted on upper floors.
(E) Lot and site standards. All uses, lots, and structures in the Bowling Green Gateway District must comply with the lot and site standards set forth in the following pages.
(F) Massing and facade. All uses, lots, and structures in the Bowling Green Gateway District must comply with the massing and facade standards set forth later in this section.
(G) Building design elements. All uses, lots, and structures in the Bowling Green Gateway District must comply with the building design elements set forth later in this section.
Lot Dimensions | BG Gateway |
Lot Dimensions | BG Gateway | |
Project Area (Min. Acres) | N/ A | |
Lot Size (Min.) | N/A | |
Lot Size (Max.) | N/A | |
Lot Width (Min. Ft.) - For New Lots | 120 |  |
Lot Width (Max. Ft.) | N/A | |
Front Yard Setback (Min. Ft.) | 0 |  |
Front Yard Setback (Max. Ft.) | 0* *Front yard setbacks may vary by up to 5 feet to undulate the facade to provide variety and interest. Maximum front yard setbacks can be increased to 15 feet if outdoor patio included for front yard activities such as outdoor dining. |  |
Side Yard Setback (Min. Aggregate Ft.) | 0 |  |
Side Yard Setback (Max. Aggregate Ft.) | 20 |  |
Rear Yard Setback (Max. Ft.) | 30 max. if not abutting a residential zone or district; 20 min. if abutting a residential zone or district |  |
Table 16: Regulatory standards for lots and structures in the Bowling Green Gateway District.
Site Standards | BG Gateway | |
Min. # Residential Units per Acre | 12; Major Development Site, 20 | |
Lot Coverage (Min.) - Excluding paved areas | 80% |  |
Parking Location | Structured parking within or below building; surface parking permitted in rear yard only and must be landscaped. Major Development Site shall have structured parking only; provided however, up to 10% of total parking may be located on surface parking areas in the rear of buildings | |
Open Space (Min.) - Paved areas not included | N/A | |
Buffering | Where a property abuts an ‘R’ zone (R-1, R-2, R-3) a 5' foot buffer yard must be provided along the lot line(s) shared with adjacent ‘R’ zone property. The buffer yard must be planted with shrubs or ornamental trees that will reach a height of at least 6 feet at maturity, with plant spacing at the minimum recommended plant spacing for the particular plant genus. |
Table 17: Lot and site standards in the Bowling Green Gateway District.
Massing & Facade | BG Gateway |
Building Massing | Buildings should be taller than they are wide and should appear as a row of buildings. A strong unifying horizontal expression over the ground level retail area. |
Primary Facades | 70% of street frontage must be devoted to front façade. 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 feet above the sidewalk. The maximum length of any segment of a street-fronting ground floor facade without transparency is 20 feet. |
Table 18: Massing and facade standards in the Bowling Green Gateway District.
Design Elements | BG Gateway | |
Railings and Decorative Elements | Iron, metal, or powder-coated aluminum |  |
Retail Floor to Floor Heights (Min. Ft.) | 16 |  |
Building Corners | Building massing should step back at the corners at intersections and building corner height may be increased by up to 10 feet to articulate and celebrate these key gateway corners. At building corners and facade segments at spaces between buildings, change of materials, projections and delineating features and additional height are allowed and encouraged. |  |
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. |  |
Table 19: Design standards in the Bowling Green Gateway District.
Design Elements | BG Gateway |
Building Transparency / Fenestration | 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 feet above the adjacent sidewalk and tops of storefront openings shall be no less than 10 feet 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 feet from the front facade. |
Balconies | None allowed facing E. Wooster Street or Thurstin Avenue. |
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 lighting should be mounted at 8 feet or higher. |
Building Equipment | No mechanical or utility equipment may be located within 20 feet 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 19 (Continued): Design standards in the Bowling Green Gateway District.
(Ord. 9098, passed 6-12-2023)