Worthington City Council unanimously approved a rezoning request that would allow a developer to build hundreds of new apartments on the southeast side of the city at a packed July 20 meeting.
The council voted 7-0 after a 3½-hour public hearing to rezone around 20 acres of land at 445 E. Dublin Granville Road to allow a $52.4 million, 248-unit housing development planned by Elford Development.
The vast majority of the development’s homes will be apartments in two and three-story buildings, but there will be two single-family homes on the lot to provide a buffer between the development and surrounding single-family homes, according to project documents shared with the council.
Over 25 community members signed up to speak to the council about the development at the July 20 meeting. A majority of speakers said they opposed the development, including several who said they lived in the nearby Colonial Hills neighborhood.
“This is a monstrosity project. There is no transition from Colonial Hills to big two-story and then three story apartments. You can’t escape looking at that with 94 feet. I think that Worthington is a great place to live, and I think that you can do better than this,” Colonial Hills Civic Association President Leslie Caruso said.
Worthington renter Brett Samson told the council that renters bring a lot to the city. He was one of several supporters of the development who spoke to council.
“It’s something that is really, really important because this is how I can continue to live here. So, I’m delighted to see the city on the cusp of approving new housing units. Again, these are units that I could potentially be living in one day,” he said.
Under the development plan, Elford Development will buy the development’s land from I Am Boundless, a medical nonprofit and one of Worthington’s largest employers. I Am Boundless agreed to retain its existing jobs and expand its workforce by 65-80 jobs as a part of the project.
The development will also feature a public shared-use path and a designated nature reserve area, according to project documents shared with council.
Transportation and neighborhoods reporter Nathan Hart can be reached at NHart@dispatch.com, @NathanRHart on X and nathanhart.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Worthington City Council approves rezoning for 248-unit housing development
Reporting by Nathan Hart, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Nathan Hart, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
