Editor’s Note: This is the third story in a five-part Delaware Source series examining changes made to Delaware City Council’s Strategic Action Plan. Each installment focuses on one of the plan’s five priority areas.
DELAWARE — With development popping up all around the city of Delaware, officials are aiming to maintain the regional partnerships that support this growth.
Delaware officials identified three economic development priorities during a strategic planning session Monday: the completion of the joint Ohio Wesleyan University downtown hotel project, further collaboration on the Delaware Municipal Airport and expanding partnerships with the local school districts.
City Manager Paul Brake also shared the status of the hotel project, saying the vision includes a 100- to 125-room hotel, rooftop bar, restaurant, coffee shop and a proposed 280-space parking garage.
These priorities, and many more from other sections of the city’s Strategic Action Plan, are projects the city will look to progress over the next two years.
City council members and department heads met July 20 to review the plan, evaluate progress and identify new priorities. Council first adopted the plan in August 2025.
Management Advisory Group managing partner David Collinsworth led the work session.
Strategic Action Plan focus areas:
- Strengthen fiscal sustainability
- Grow and diversify the local economy
- Strengthen regional partnerships
- Foster community connectivity and vibrancy
- Solve parking and mobility challenges
The regional partnerships section of the Strategic Action Plan focuses on “leveraging regional partnerships, intergovernmental coordination and anchor institutions to maximize resources, improve service delivery and advance shared economic and community outcomes,” according to an updated planning packet.
The city identified this portion of the plan as “in progress.”
THE FIRST TWO STORIES FROM THIS SERIES:
What partnerships exist today?
Before looking at new priorities, city officials reviewed the status of four existing initiatives:
- Advance Regional Airport Collaboration — In Progress
- Continued coordination and monitoring of operational and governance collaboration best practices to support long-term sustainability
- Continued coordination and monitoring of operational and governance collaboration best practices to support long-term sustainability
- Strengthen Intergovernmental Relations — On Track
- Coordinated city-county economic development incentives, infrastructure planning in growth areas and expanded GIS and technical collaboration
- Coordinated city-county economic development incentives, infrastructure planning in growth areas and expanded GIS and technical collaboration
- Advocate at the State Level — In Progress
- Secured state infrastructure funding, engaged housing and pension policy discussions and monitored legislation impacting municipal finances
- Secured state infrastructure funding, engaged housing and pension policy discussions and monitored legislation impacting municipal finances
- Strengthen Ohio Wesleyan University Partnership — On Track
- Managed the request for proposals process for the downtown hotel project, evaluated campus-adjacent redevelopment sites and partnered with OWU interns on downtown-focused social media campaigns
With the above progress reviewed, Collinsworth led an exercise to identify new ideas for the regional partnerships section and determine which should become the city’s highest priorities for the section and strategic plan as a whole.
Priorities moving forward
Similar to the economic development section of the plan, the group did not discuss major changes to the overall strategy for building up regional partnerships.
Rather, Brake said he appreciated how the city has revitalized its relationship with OWU, saying the city is “on a roll” with the university with the downtown hotel project.
He said the project has entered its fundraising and entitlement phase, with OWU continuing as an active partner.
Officials also reaffirmed their goal of collaborating with a partner on the Delaware Municipal Airport, aiming to grow the airport’s role as an economic development asset rather than primarily serving recreational aviation.
The discussion centered on attracting more business aviation, increasing fuel sales and determining whether the airport’s future would be best served through a partnership with Delaware County or a private operator.
Several other priorities include:
- Evaluating the city’s metropolitan planning organization (MPO) status compared to other cities in the area like Columbus.
- Looking to Delaware City Schools, Olentangy Schools and Buckeye Valley Schools for continued relationship building.
- Strengthening the city’s relationship with Jobs Ohio and One Columbus.
What’s next
The ideas discussed Monday do not immediately change city policy.
Instead, Collinsworth said the work session was intended to identify priorities that staff can begin incorporating into future council discussions and formal action items as the strategic plan continues to evolve.
This is the third installment in a five-part Delaware Source series examining updates to the city’s Strategic Action Plan. The next story will focus on community connectivity.
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