Three Visions Emerge for Worthington's Central Focus Area

The Worthington Together planning team discussed three distinct land use concepts for the "Central Focus Area" during the November 20th Community Choices webinar. This area, which spans both sides of High Street, includes some of the city's largest redevelopment opportunities: the former Anthem site, the City Hall complex, and 1033 High Street (the former UMCH site).

Why This Area?

The focus on this particular area stems from strong public interest during round one of community engagement. The planning team noted they received significant input about this location during the first round of public feedback. The area also contains several large sites that present more significant opportunities for transformation than other locations in the city.

The Three Concepts

The planning team presented three concepts developed in collaboration with the community committee. Importantly, residents are not being asked to vote on a winner. Instead, the team wants to understand what elements people support or oppose to inform a refined plan.

Concept A: Relocating City Hall

The most ambitious concept proposes relocating the City Hall complex to the west side of High Street, where it would be oriented around a new plaza or public green space. This concept includes:

• A new civic campus as a centerpiece
• Mixed-use development on both sides of High Street with ground-floor commercial and three-to-four story office or residential above
• A variety of residential options including small-lot single family, senior living, townhomes, and multifamily housing
• Road connections to existing neighborhoods like Worthington Way and Worthington Estates

Concept B: Connected Greenway System

This concept maintains the existing City Hall location while creating an interconnected open space network. Key features include:

• A connected greenway system with trails and usable park space
• A five-acre park on the east side of High Street with a gathering space and amphitheater
• Mixed-use development along the High Street corridor
• A potential hotel on the west side of High Street
• Pedestrian and bike access only to existing neighborhoods (no vehicular cross-access)

Concept C: Maximum Neighborhood Protection

The third concept offers the strongest buffer between new development and existing residential areas:

• No vehicular connectivity whatsoever between new development and existing neighborhoods
• Only pedestrian and bike trails connecting to surrounding areas
• Similar mix of land uses as other concepts

What Residents Said Matters Most

During the webinar's polling activities, participants weighed in on priorities for this area:

Building Scale Transitions: Participants rated "appropriate transitions in building scale to existing neighborhoods" as very important, receiving the strongest support among the design priorities presented.

Design Quality: High-quality design and architectural standards also rated highly among priorities.

Building Heights: When asked about appropriate heights along High Street, responses varied, with the concepts showing options ranging from three-to-four stories to potentially higher in the mixed-use areas.

Residential Types: Participants provided feedback on their support for various housing types, from small-lot single family to multifamily development.

The Ravine Question

Several participants raised questions about the ravine area on the west side of High Street. The committee's discussions suggested this area could potentially include accessible trails, though it would function as a passive preserve rather than active recreation space due to flooding considerations. The team acknowledged concerns that this area shouldn't count toward public space requirements given its limited usability.

What Happens Next

The planning team will analyze all feedback from the webinar, the in-person workshop held the previous week, and the online survey (open through December 19) to develop what was described as "a more acceptable concept for the area's future." This refined concept will include analysis of fiscal impacts based on the mix of uses, number of residential units, park acreage, and connectivity options.