Westerville staff seek council OK to update community plan, prioritize South State Street and housing pilot

Westerville planning staff told the City Council at a Feb. 11 work session that they are prepared to update the city’s comprehensive plan and pursue targeted zoning changes and focus-area planning, starting with the South State Street corridor, to help preserve naturally affordable housing and expand housing options as the region grows.

Staff said the effort will run in three parallel tracks: a phased update to the 2016 comprehensive plan, a South State Street focus-area plan to be done concurrently with phase 1, and a set of targeted zoning code fixes and pilot projects (including the home-repair grant). The presentation laid out recent local housing data, existing tools such as the density-bonus planned-unit district, and barriers developers report on infill and mixed-use projects.

The city frames the work as a mix of preservation and production: keep older, naturally affordable homes in good repair while testing targeted ways to add missing-middle and mixed-use housing in defined areas where market momentum exists. "We hope that by the end of this presentation, you will agree with us that we have made progress on our policy housing policies," Staff member Monica said, asking council for direction to proceed with the parallel planning and code work.

Staff and data highlights - Local housing stock and affordability: Staff reported roughly 15,878 housing units in Westerville, about three-quarters owner occupied and one-quarter renter occupied. Staff said about 220 Westerville residents use housing choice vouchers and the market contains roughly 250 units financed through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. - Naturally occurring…