Hello Worthington! Here's your recap of what happened at May 14th's Architectural Review Board and Municipal Planning Commission meeting. Below are summaries of the commercial and institutional projects that are relevant in our community.
American Legion property at 700 Morning Street moves toward Veterans Memorial zoning
The Municipal Planning Commission unanimously recommended rezoning the American Legion's 0.33-acre lot, behind Sharon Memorial Hall, from R-10 low-density residential to the Veterans Memorial (VM) district. The post has occupied the site since 1947, but its R-10 nonconforming-use status had capped building improvements at 35% of value — a limit John Dernberger, representing the Legion, said "basically ensured that we were on a long-term slow death of the post." The city had meant to make this change back in 2010, when it first created the VM district for Sharon Memorial Hall, but for reasons staff did not detail, the Legion was left out at the time.
VM zoning lets the post invest in its century-old building without running into that cap. It also gives the city more say going forward: events at the post would need a separate conditional-use permit covering hours, noise, and neighbor impact — tools the nonconforming status did not provide. The recommendation now goes to City Council, with an introduction June 1 and a public hearing June 15.
In Other News
- Indoor soccer is coming to 535 Lakeview Plaza Boulevard. The board approved a conditional-use permit for an indoor soccer facility in the north portion of the 86,000-square-foot recreation building off State Route 161. The operator is the same tenant that runs Paddle Taps, the pickleball facility on the south side of the building. Play will be mostly after-school and weekend youth programming.
- A detail shop was cleared for construction at 750 East Granville Road. The board approved Feldman Auto Group's plan to demolish the former used-car sales building on the Mark Wahlberg Chevrolet campus and replace it with a smaller vehicle-detail shop, along with the conditional-use permit the detail-shop use needs in the I-2 zoning district. The reworked design matches the existing dealership and service buildings, and answers the board's earlier concern about how the building reads from State Route 161. The Board of Zoning Appeals had already approved a side-yard setback variance the week before, so this was the last approval the project needed before construction.
- Worthington Schools will demolish a 1957 maintenance compound behind Evening Street Elementary. The board approved tearing down three structures at 885 Evening Street: a main maintenance building dating to about 1957, a salt barn, and a small shelter that once housed Columbia Gas equipment. The Worthington Historical Society found nothing worth preserving. The district is consolidating its maintenance operations at its Busch Boulevard property, where its bus barn already operates. The cleared site becomes a fenced grass area for now — the district floated possible future parking but has not committed, and any new use would return to the board.
- Mrs. Goodman's new bakery building at 1012 High Street took a procedural step forward. The commission recommended a subdivision plat that formally hands the High Street right-of-way, currently a highway easement, over to the city. That was a condition the Board of Zoning Appeals attached when it approved the project's variances last December. The plat goes to City Council on June 1 for introduction and June 15 for a public hearing. The applicant told the commission construction is targeted for July.
Upcoming Dates
Monday, May 25, 10 a.m. — Worthington Memorial Day Parade, beginning at East Dublin-Granville Road, proceeding south on High Street to Cemetery Drive. Sponsored by American Legion Post 239; a ceremony at Walnut Grove Cemetery follows. Parade details
Monday, May 25 — Memorial Day. City offices closed; trash collection shifts from Friday to Saturday.
Thursday, May 28, 7 p.m. — Next Architectural Review Board / Municipal Planning Commission meeting at the Worthington Municipal Building, 6550 N. High Street. Details here. On the agenda:
- The Boundless apartment rezoning returns to the Municipal Planning Commission. Elford Development's plan would rezone about 20 acres of the Boundless property at 445 E. Granville Road for a 246-unit apartment development, plus two single-family lots on Park Overlook Drive. The commission tabled the request in January; the applicant returns with revised plans, including a lower roof pitch and an updated south-property-line buffer. The city's Boundless–Harding Hospital Site page tracks the project.
- A wall sign for a business at 693½ High Street in Old Worthington is also on the agenda.
40 + - The Boundless apartment rezoning returns to the Municipal Planning Commission. Elford Develop +ment's plan would rezone about 20 acres of the [Boundless property](https://www.worthingtonpulse.com/ar +ticles/proposed-246-unit-apartment-development-at-boundless-site-draws-community-feedback) at 445 E. Gr +anville Road for a 246-unit apartment development, plus two single-family lots on Park Overlook Drive. +The commission tabled the request in January; the applicant returns with revised plans, including a low +er roof pitch and an updated south-property-line buffer. The city's Boundless–Harding Hospital Site pa +ge tracks the project.
Saturday, May 30, 8 a.m.–noon — Worthington Farmers Market opens its summer season in downtown Worthington.
Monday, June 15, 7 p.m. — Worthington City Council public hearing on both the American Legion rezoning (REZ 02-2026) and the Mrs. Goodman's bakery subdivision plat (SUB 01-2026 and SUB 02-2026).
Thanks for reading this summary of the Architectural Review Board and Municipal Planning Commission meeting. You can watch the original full video here
Note: This recap focuses on commercial and institutional projects that affect the broader community. Individual homeowner applications, while important to those involved, are not included in this community newsletter.