POWELL — Powell Mayor Heather Karr told guests “progress here is collective” in her opening remarks at the state of the city on Tuesday.
Officials and representatives from Powell City Council, Powell’s economic development team, local businesses, Olentangy Schools and Liberty Township spoke during the address, hosted at the Columbus Zoo.
“I can say with confidence, each year that I have had the privilege of working for this community and with this community, it has gotten better,” said city manager Andy White.
“As we continue to address challenges, and move forward to a path, progress is visible across the community and will continue.”
White highlighted some major city projects in the works and interviewed two panels of people about their work in developing Powell.
“The path forward is one we all share, and it’s one we’re building together. We encourage you to stay engaged, stay informed and to continue to be a part of shaping what comes next, because Powell isn’t standing still, we’re moving forward, intentionally.”
Powell Mayor heather karr
Street improvements
White pointed out the Scioto Street Extension project, which will extend the street east from its current terminus at Liberty Street to Grace Drive.
Crews began demolition of the city-owned building located at 44 N. Liberty St. on April 6, which will allow for the first phase of construction on the street.
Once completed, the project will enhance traffic flow and add a large public parking lot that will serve businesses in the downtown area.
He also highlighted the reconstruction of North Depot Street, which has added new sidewalks, paved parking, street lighting and roadway drainage.
Both projects are funded by the Capital Improvement Fund for the annual street maintenance and repairs.
“Before the income tax restructure and my arrival, we were only able to be maybe a tenth of that. So we’re really proud of being able to keep up after our streets,” White said.
Powell also worked with the Ohio Department of Transportation to upgrade two existing crosswalks at Hall Street and Depot Street, and add a new crossing at Traditions Way, all featuring pedestrian warning signs.
2022 income tax restructure
Effective Jan. 1, 2022, Powell’s municipal income tax rate — imposed on anyone who earns income in the City of Powell and on Powell residents who earn income elsewhere — increased from 0.75% to 2%.
This change, approved by voters, generates approximately $3.4 million annually for public safety, infrastructure improvements and economic development.
“There’s a significant amount of money that was leaving the community every day for years that has been rebalanced,” White said.
“The community can now expect to see a surge of resources from council’s actions that brought these new resources in and help grow our job base that provide more resources for us to address the needs of the community.”
At the end of fiscal year 2025, Powell’s general fund balance stood at $23.4 million, which marks a 10% increase over the prior year and 200% growth since 2020, according to Director of Finance Samantha Borchers.
Borchers credits that growth to the income tax restructure.
COhatch’s arrival
COhatch officially opened its new Powell campus at 50 and 60 E. Olentangy St. in downtown Powell in March.
The new 14,000 square-foot development introduces a mix of private offices, coworking space and meeting rooms to the downtown.
The building also features the Lani Rooftop Lounge, an indoor and outdoor rooftop cocktail venue that officially opened its doors on April 9.
Next door, Middlebury Member House was designed as a luxury lodge-style space for COhatch members to work, meet and host private events. It will finish construction soon.
COhatch Founder and CEO Matt Davis, who spoke during the development panel, said he expects 300 businesses will eventually occupy the office spaces and available memberships.
“We have 12 locations in Columbus now, and we continue to grow, but there’s no town that has more potential and a better lifestyle than this town,” Davis said.
“I’m really honored to be working and just hopefully look back 20 years from now as just being a small part of the catalyst of what could become of the city of Powell.”
White said the new space is bringing a lot of patronage downtown that was “sorely needed.”
“We’re excited to see that continue and look forward to growing with COhatch,” he said.
Shared use path and Bennett Farm
City Engineer Aaron Stanford highlighted progress on the proposed shared use path that will connect Arbor Ridge Park and downtown Powell.
Stanford unveiled a preliminary design for the trail at the April 7 Powell Development Committee meeting. The project would add more than 2,000 feet of paved path and is nearing completion of its design phase.
The design includes a new crosswalk with ramp access across Bartholomew Boulevard, connecting the proposed trail to an existing path. The final design will be complete by the end of April.
That path will run through Bennett Farm: 32 acres of historic farmland which will eventually be repurposed into an $18 million public park.
The city is still in the early phases of deciding what the space will actually look like, and the design and construction phases will likely span years.
Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s Powell campus is slated to open the $183 million, 207,000 square-foot outpatient care facility on August 3.
“At this point, we’re about 85% complete, it’s really coming along. It’s a beautiful sight,” Senior Director of Operations of OSUWMC Ambulatory Centers Jess Pfister said.
The Powell location marks the third campus, following the creation of the New Albany and Dublin centers.
“This is a site where you don’t have to drive across the city for specialized care. And we’ll have advanced urgent care there seven days a week open,” Pfister said.
“When you need specialized care, we’ll have top-notch oncology and physical therapy services, so recovery can really happen close to home.”
Pfister invited attendees and all Powell residents to the July 25 open house where guests can tour the brand new facility ahead of the opening.
