Community Choices

1. The City’s unique character is strengthened. We will respect and build upon the cherished character of historic places and create a strong sense of place in other areas. The specific character, expressed through building design and materials, public spaces, landscaping, signage, lighting, historic preservation, and public art, will vary between different areas, but it will be intentional, context-appropriate, and contribute to community pride.

2. Growth focuses on vacant land and underperforming commercial, office, and industrial areas. We will pursue intentional redevelopment for priority aging retail/office areas, legacy industrial districts, and corridor reinvestment sites. We will encourage other corridor areas to evolve in character through incremental, opportunity-driven redevelopment and phased infrastructure and public-realm upgrades.

3. Walkable mixed-use places—unique and purposeful—are created. We will shape new places that combine shops, restaurants, services, employment space, diverse housing, and a high-quality, pedestrian-scale public realm, converting large blocks and surface parking lots into connected streets and walkable blocks in targeted nodes and corridors.

4. A broader range of housing serves the community. We will broaden housing types and price points, preserve and reinvest in naturally occurring affordable housing (NOAH), and encourage accessible, age-friendly homes; so young people, families, and long-time residents can reside here through every life stage. New housing will be focused in reinvestment areas, corridors, and mixed-use nodes.

5. The character of established neighborhoods is honored while accommodating growth. We will help established neighborhoods maintain their character while corridors evolve, supporting context-appropriate infill and additions, requiring transitions in scale at neighborhood edges, encouraging preservation and reinvestment in existing homes, and limiting traffic on neighborhood streets.

6. Major destinations are connected by safe walking, biking, and transit. We will close sidewalk and trail gaps, improve crossings, calm traffic, expand bikeways, enhance streetscapes, and integrate COTA (and potential BRT) with land use—linking Old Worthington’s Central Business District with schools, parks, employment areas, and new development along High Street, SR-161, and the regional trail network.

7. The City’s parks and public spaces are elevated. We will enhance the quality, accessibility, and programming of existing parks and civic spaces and, where appropriate, deliver new public spaces as part of larger redevelopment, so these places reflect community values for nature, culture, education, and civic life.

8. Development and the public realm demonstrate environmental stewardship and resilience. We will protect natural systems (riparian areas, woodlands, steep slopes), expand the tree canopy, apply low-impact development and on-site stormwater management, promote energy-efficient buildings and site design, and encourage native plants, recycling, and composting—as baseline expectations for all significant projects.

9. Business corridors are modernized to support a resilient economy and workforce. We will expect new mixed-use office development or complementary uses that strengthen existing offices areas in the High Street and Wilson Bridge Road corridors. In the Northeast Area, we will pursue clean and flexible light-industrial and innovation space, provide small-business and incubator opportunities, and create smaller mixed-use nodes to serve these employment uses.

10. Redevelopment balances the mix of uses to enhance fiscal responsibility. We will use land and infrastructure efficiently, right-size utilities, evaluate life-cycle costs, and align land use with service costs, creating a citywide mix of uses that strengthens Worthington’s long-term finances and capacity to deliver outstanding services.

1. Create a vibrant gateway into Worthington to foster community identity.

2. Support redevelopment of underutilized office buildings and parking areas with a mix of uses (office, residential, hotel, etc) in a walkable design, reducing surface parking.

3. Allow greater building heights, high-quality building materials, and architectural styles that are distinct to this area of Worthington. Reduce building scale as a transition to nearby residential areas.

4. Create better pedestrian and bike connections with trails throughout the area and safer paths across High Street.

1. Support gradual redevelopment to bring buildings closer to the street, with parking behind, creating a more walkable, inviting, and well-connected streetscape.

2. Create a stronger pedestrian and bike connection to Old Worthington with improved landscaping and other streetscape elements.

3. Strategically consolidate properties, parking lots, and access points to High Street between properties to create space that is more attractive for future redevelopment.

1. Support development that respects and celebrates the historic character of Old Worthington.

2. Pursue sensitive infill and redevelopment with housing and commercial options that are appropriate with Old Worthington’s historic character, such as accessory dwelling units (ADUs), attached single-family homes, three-four-family homes, and boutique hotels.

3. Create a stronger pedestrian and bike connection to the surrounding neighborhoods with improved landscaping and other streetscape elements.

4. Improve the public realm to encourage social interaction through enhanced streetscape features such as street furniture, public art, and covered bus stops.

1. Create a vibrant gateway into Worthington at or near the intersection of High Street and Selby Boulevard with distinct building and public realm design elements that welcome people into the community.

2. Support gradual redevelopment to maximize underutilized space, bringing buildings closer to the street with parking behind to create a more active ground floor.

3. Transition building scale and heights along High Street between the historic character of Old Worthington to the north and the Zone-In efforts completed by Columbus to the south, where four-story buildings are permitted.

4. Create a stronger pedestrian and bike connection to Old Worthington with wider sidewalks, improved landscaping, and street furniture such as benches and covered bus stops.