Two Projects. One Effort.

Westerville is taking a coordinated step to reflect on past planning efforts while preparing for the next phase of growth and investment. Through the Community Plan Assessment and the South State Street Focus Area Plan, the City is evaluating where it has been, where conditions are changing and how future decisions can support a well-planned and resilient community.

This initiative includes two connected components:

• Community Plan Assessment & Existing Conditions Update: A citywide evaluation of trends, infrastructure, land use patterns, market conditions, and implementation progress since the 2016 Community Plan.
• South State Street Focus Area Plan: A corridor-specific strategy that translates citywide findings into a detailed, implementable vision for one of Westerville’s most visible and complex areas.

Together, these efforts provide both the foundation and real-world demonstration of how Westerville can make informed, strategic decisions about its future.

To learn more about each component, visit the Community Snapshot page and the South State Street page.

Stay connected: Check back for project updates or follow the City of Westerville on social media: www.westerville.org/about-westerville/social-networks

Understanding Westerville Today

What is the Community Plan Assessment?

Before updating the Community Plan, Westerville is taking a deliberate step back to answer a fundamental question: Where do we stand as a community, and what matters most now?

The Community Plan Assessment provides a clear, data-informed snapshot of Westerville’s current conditions and recent progress. It evaluates how the 2016 Community Plan has been implemented and examines the trends shaping the city today.

Through this work, the Assessment will:

• Audit progress since the 2016 Community Plan
• Align related plans, policies and prior studies
• Update demographic, housing, economic, land use and infrastructure trends
• Identify emerging issues, pressures and opportunities
• Identify future planning sub-areas
• Set clear themes for the next phase of planning

Why South State Street?

South State Street is one of Westerville’s most visible corridors. It connects neighborhoods, businesses and destinations and represents both challenge and opportunity.

Like many commercial corridors across the country, it is experiencing aging commercial properties, changing retail patterns, underutilized parcels, fragmented ownership, important infrastructure considerations and unrealized potential.

The question is not whether change will occur. The question is how Westerville will shape it.

The Focus Area Plan will:

• Analyze parcel conditions, ownership, zoning, and infrastructure readiness
• Examine market and redevelopment potential along the corridor
• Build realistic placemaking and redevelopment scenarios
• Identify public realm, mobility and connectivity improvements
• Outline funding, partnerships and phased implementation actions
• Create a template for future Focus Area Plans

The result will be a practical roadmap for how the corridor can evolve over time through public and private action and investment.

Check back soon for project reports and documents.

Community input is a critical part of this planning process. Throughout the project, the City of Westerville and the project team will provide multiple opportunities for residents, business owners and stakeholders to share their perspectives, ideas and priorities.

Engagement will occur at key points in the process to:

• Ground the analysis in lived experience
• Identify community priorities and concerns
• Shape future planning recommendations and strategies

This includes a mix of in-person events, pop-up activities and online engagement tools designed to make participation accessible and convenient.

Current Opportunities to Participate!

Join us at the first Community Open House to learn about the project, explore early findings, and share your input. Register below to attend!

What's Next!

Following the first open house, online engagement activities will be available to gather additional feedback and continue the conversation.

Start engaging here today. Coming Soon.