LEBANON — City leaders are considering limiting the materials, roof styles and even decorative features used on all new commercial buildings.

        If passed by City Council on Tuesday, the proposed ordinance would make development rules here among the most restrictive in Greater Cincinnati.

Seeking to preserve its old-town ambiance, Lebanon might restrict how new buildings look. (Enquirer file) | ZOOM |

        “We have to protect ourselves,” said Alexandra Reynolds, chairwoman of Lebanon's Planning Commission. “We're not telling (businesses) we don't want them. But we know how we want our town to look.”

        Mrs. Reynolds and others want new construction to fit in with the old Victorians in this Warren County city, which turns 200 next year.

        Councilman James Reinhard cites a survey last year that showed most residents want to preserve Lebanon's historic flavor.

        “It's time to do it before it's too late,” he said.

        The more immediate impetus was a Big Kmart that's being built — even though its plan already has been approved. Another “big box” store — Home Depot — is close on its heels.

        The intent is not to scare away businesses, officials say, and the ordinance wouldn't do that.

        Similar rules in Centerville, a Dayton suburb, haven't stunted growth there, Centerville planner Steve Feverston said.

BUILDING RULES

Proposed rules for all new commercial buildings in Lebanon (does not apply to residential or industrial):     • The main body of the building must be wood, brick or stone, although the Lebanon Planning Commission can make exceptions.     • Permitted roof styles include gable, mansard and hip roofs, with others to be judged by the Planning Commission individually.     • Every building must have a cornice, parapet, awning, canopy or eaves.     • Colors must be muted.     • Buildings larger than 10,000 square feet cannot be rectangles. They must be dressed up with features such as varied roof heights, arches, columns and courtyards.

        “It's mostly viewed as just another cost of doing business,” he said.

        Centerville is more restrictive than Lebanon plans to be because its 3-year-old rules also apply to industrial and apartment buildings.

        Many other Southwest Ohio communities have a design ordinance — but only for their historic districts.

        Montgomery in Hamilton County, for instance, restricts building designs used downtown.

        “It does sort of push up the cost of construction, but in the long term it makes the town more attractive and that's a marketing tool,” Community Development Director Frank Davis said.

        Lebanon Councilwoman Amy Brewer, however, is undecided on the proposed ordinance here: “I'm concerned about government getting too restrictive.”

        As a Lebanon native, Larry Buchanan supports design rules. As a developer, he shares that concern. “Once they start imposing all these restrictions, they kind of get carried away.”

        Council will hear public comments on the ordinance at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
       
       

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