Village Green redevelopment timeline pushed back in Powell after public feedback

POWELL — The fate of Village Green has been delayed, a decision largely informed by hundreds of comments from Powell residents that prompted officials to slow down the planning process.

Powell City Council voted Tuesday to extend phase two of the Village Green Master Plan, which focuses on preparing and refining development concepts for the site.

The extension will allow design firm Pizzuti Solutions to address the 381 comments left by residents via email and four in-person open houses hosted by the firm, where two conceptual designs for Village Green were presented.

Both plans called for retail and mixed-use space, residential and mixed-use space and residential space in different ways, including a market hall, a grocery store and more parking, transforming the existing 47 Hall St. parking lot into a multi-level parking garage.

And both plans would ultimately rearrange the 12-acre parcel currently home to city council chambers, the Powell Police Department, amphitheater, splash pad and green space.

Public feedback on the proposal was mixed. While some residents supported portions of the plan, others raised concerns about preserving the Village Green as a gathering space for events such as community theater performances, Powell Fest and the Powell Street Market.

Pizzuti Solutions Representative Sophia Lanza told council she expects to host another community presentation in the fall and bring a revised concept to council in December.

Extending the plan costs zero additional dollars to the city, according to City Manager Andy White.

Residents crowded council chambers to give public comment

Council chambers were full of residents who gave public comment on the matter.

Melissa Scott, board president of Olentangy Community Theater, expressed her love for the amphitheater, but emphasized her desire for a new, indoor theater space to be incorporated into Village Green plans.

“A year-round performing arts venue would create more opportunities for local families, expand energy entertainment options in downtown Powell and would bring more visitors to our restaurants, to our businesses and a tremendous investment in the future of our community,” she said.

Sean Donnelly emphasized the importance of the space as it is now.

“The Powell Fest downtown and the amphitheater and all those activities downtown are 100% essential to this community. It can’t be in the field north or east of town,” Donnelly said, prompting applause from the audience.

Mayor Heather Karr pointed out the 30-year-old amphitheater lacks adequate electric supply, sound systems and other features.

Other members of the public emphasized the importance of the green space.

“It’s changed drastically over the 30 plus years that we’ve been here, but we still love the green space,” Todd Secrist said.

“Do we need this much of a massive change? Can we incorporate some? But I think a lot of the green space, obviously, is has brought out that people feel that that’s very essential,” he added.

Dana Irwin and Jeannine Ashton both argued the land provides lasting value to the community that would be difficult to replace through additional development.

Tracey Mayberry questioned how the city will handle traffic and infrastructure if the plan incorporates apartments and other “high-density” housing.

“I’ve been around here long enough to know the number-one complaint of every resident is traffic. And everything I see on the wall over there cries out to me, ‘We’re about to make it exponentially worse,'” Mayberry said.

“I would ask you to really reconsider going forward with the study. I think it is a waste of council funds and time,” she said. “There are other needs in this community crying out for the expenditure of the local capital.”

Several residents also said they did not believe the city adequately informed the public about the proposed concepts or the opportunities to provide feedback.

Next steps

Even if City Council approves a final development concept in December, any changes to Village Green remain years away.

A December approval would move the project into phase three of the Village Green plan, which focuses on financing. During that phase, Pizzuti Solutions and city officials would work to understand a cost breakdown of developing the site with that final conceptual design.

Planning Director Logan Stang emphasized that approving a concept does not authorize construction.

“Even at the end of phase three, there is no development itself that would be approved, so that would just be the fiscal analysis alongside a plan,” Stang said.

“There would be several additional steps that would have to follow before any type of development would ever occur in the same.”

City Manager Andrew White also told council that he and city staff have already begun planning for Powell Fest 2027, which will take place at the Village Green as it always has.