Part of the Worthington Together Speaker Series on Economic Development held on October 27, 2025 | Worthington City Hall
When Worthington residents hear "mixed-use development," concerns about density and character naturally arise. But successful Columbus-area examples—combined with a fundamental shift in workforce behavior—tell a story worth examining as the city updates its comprehensive plan.
Three Success Stories Worth Visiting
Rather than discuss mixed-use abstractly, panelists encouraged residents to visit actual examples and judge for themselves.
Grandview Yard: An old Kroger distribution facility transformed into one of Columbus's most desirable mixed-use destinations—high-quality office, walkable retail, and residential options creating a vibrant environment.
Bridge Park (Dublin): An antiquated shopping center with massive surface parking reimagined as a thriving district with nearly zero office vacancy. "They're actually converting some of their additional, I think it was proposed for residential, to additional office because of that success," Matt McCollister noted.
Short North: Strategic zoning allowing vertical development with setbacks transformed a struggling corridor into one of Columbus's most vibrant neighborhoods. "They needed more density there because the traditional density was not going to add to the tax base like they could if they could go higher," McCollister explained.
"Take 270 around and you can find them," moderator Dave Collinsworth encouraged. "Physically see how it interfaces with the street, how it interfaces with adjacent properties."
What Is Mixed-Use?
Mixed-use combines residential, commercial, and office space in close proximity—either vertically (different uses in the same building) or horizontally (adjacent buildings with complementary uses).
"Mixed-use communities are more successful, resilient, and sustainable," explained Ashley Solether of ULI Columbus. "They're attractive to tenants and residents, stimulate local economies, and help build public infrastructure."
The goal is creating environments where people can live, work, shop, and recreate without driving for every trip.
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The Shrinking Office Market
McCollister's data revealed a dramatic shift: office development has collapsed from 50% of regional projects pre-pandemic to just 9-12% today. Far fewer companies are looking for office space.
The critical insight for Worthington: the office projects that are still happening have become very selective about location. They're choosing walkable, mixed-use environments like Easton, Bridge Park, and the Short North—places where employees can walk to lunch, run errands, or meet colleagues after work.
"If you think about where a lot of our office projects are landing... it's places like Easton, Bridge Park, places like the Short North," McCollister said.
The implication? Standalone office buildings surrounded by parking lots struggle to attract tenants. If Worthington wants to compete for a share of the smaller office market, it needs environments with the walkability and nearby amenities today's office users expect.
The Fundamental Workforce Shift
But the discussion went deeper than real estate. A fundamental change has occurred in how people make career and location decisions.
"Previous generations went where work was and settled down," panelists explained. "Younger generations choose where to live first, then find work."
With remote and hybrid work now normalized, many professionals can work from anywhere—so they choose places they actually want to live.
Joe Hayek of Worthington Enterprises emphasized the daily competition for talent: "We have to compete every single day to attract and retain talent just as the Columbus region does, just as the city of Worthington does."
The company has been recognized as one of Columbus's "Best Employers" for 13-14 consecutive years. But even excellent employers need communities that support workforce quality of life.
What Today's Workforce Actually Wants
Based on Worthington Enterprises' experience, Hayek highlighted factors that matter:
The Fundamentals: Excellent schools, strategic location, hybrid work flexibility
The Experience: Appealing commute environment, places to walk during the work day, parks and trails
"When you're driving by things on the way to work, is it appealing?" Hayek asked. "Is your mood improved based on what you're seeing, or is it the opposite?"
He mentioned the bike trail leading to Worthington Enterprises' office: "Every once in a while, you probably wouldn't guess this, but I ride my bike to work."
The Amenities: Hayek noted that visitors to his company typically stay at Easton or Polaris—"Those are places that have more of what they are looking for."
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The Housing Continuum
Nothing illustrates the workforce-community connection more clearly than housing diversity. The panel emphasized serving all life stages:
Young Professionals need affordable entry points. Without these options, they establish roots elsewhere and may never return—even when they could later afford Worthington.
Growing Families need single-family options—Worthington's traditional strength.
Empty-Nesters need right-sized housing to downsize without leaving. When unavailable, long-time residents reluctantly move—taking institutional knowledge and civic engagement with them.
Retirees need accessible housing near services to maintain social connections.
Without housing across the continuum, communities lose people at every life stage.
Design Standards Matter
Panelists emphasized that mixed-use doesn't mean abandoning community character.
"Having a good set of design standards in zoning really helps new development or redevelopment kind of fit into the character of the community," Solether said.
Scale matters enormously. Planners generally avoid placing high-rises immediately adjacent to single-family homes. Transitional density creates appropriate buffers.
"Density must be done within scale," Solether emphasized.
The Fiscal Perspective
From a fiscal standpoint, mixed-use typically performs at approximately break-even—services roughly match revenue. While not generating the surplus of manufacturing or office, mixed-use:
- Provides housing workforce needs
- Creates amenities that attract employers
- Generates more revenue than standalone residential
- Offers flexibility as markets change
- Contributes through developer fees
"New development helps build public infrastructure through developer fees," Solether noted.
The Modern Manufacturing Career
Hayek described how manufacturing has evolved: "It's very, very different than it did 20 years ago."
Modern manufacturing involves AI, automation, advanced engineering, and continuous learning. Worthington Enterprises partners with local high schools to introduce students to these careers—fighting outdated perceptions.
"It's incumbent on us to continue to grow to be able to offer exciting careers, not just jobs," Hayek said.
These aren't your grandfather's factory jobs—they're skilled positions with strong wages and career growth.
Quality of Life IS Economic Development
The workforce revolution means quality of life isn't separate from economic development. It is economic development.
Companies follow talent. Talent chooses quality of life. Communities that understand this connection—and plan accordingly—will thrive.
As Hayek encouraged: "It's okay to be proud of who you are and where you came from... but don't be afraid to think differently. Thinking differently, and if you do it well, often lets you become thought of differently."
Give your input and feedback on the Worthington Together Community Choices page! Please provide your input by December 19, 2025.