Planning Next, a Columbus-based planning group, was hired to assess the city’s comprehensive plan, developed in 2018. As part of the process, the group surveyed city council and the planning commission members. Above is a word cloud created by Planning Next to reflect the results and comments from the survey.
(Graphic submitted)
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Marysville City Council held its annual joint work session with the city’s planning commission Monday night to go over the process of reviewing the comprehensive plan.
The comprehensive plan was created in 2018 to help guide the city in future land use and policy decisions.
Planning Next has been hired to assess the comprehensive plan and whether it needs updated.
City Manager Terry Emery said the firm was asked to “take a look at our comprehensive plan and come back with some suggestions, some assessments of our plans, what’s working, what’s not.”
Emery called the assessment “an absolute necessity” as the city has changed so much since 2018.
Jamie Greene, with Planning Next, said growth factors and housing demand are having an impact on the community.
He said the city has 2,303 housing units “in the pipeline.” Council member Henk Berbee said that number does not include the Marysville East or Marysville Silos projects so the number is closer to 3,000.
Marysville’s 2022 population was 27,157. The 2018 plan forecasted Marysville to grow from 24,262 to 44,594 residents by 2040.
Union County is expected to reach 78,000 residents by 2050, a 25% increase, and Central Ohio expected to reach 2.7 million residents by 2050, a 14% increase.
He said regional growth factors including nearby growth, the proposed rail service and the Big Darby watershed influence what occurs in Marysville.
Greene said the city will need to conduct a new housing analysis to better understand the regional housing market and Marysville’s role.
Planning Next conducted an anonymous survey of the Council and Planning Commission members regarding the 2018 plan.
Greene said survey participants indicated the 2018 plan has been used as a “guide” or “frame of reference” and met the city’s goals at the time but is outdated, particularly given regional growth trends. Respondents said the next plan will need to better address housing, walkability, amenities, economic diversification and maintaining a “small town” feel relative to community character.
The survey indicated respondents believe Marysville could serve as a regional destination for visitors; schools and the Uptown remain draws for new residents; the economy should be expanded to attract a variety of businesses and improve competition with nearby suburbs and Columbus.
Greene said the survey also showed that leaders believe the plan update “should provide more tools for managing future growth to ensure the city is prepared and strengthens its best qualities.”
He said that in evaluating responses, there is a difference between planning commission members and council. He said planning commission recommendations are generally consistent with the Comprehensive Plan while council actions are not necessarily.
Planning Next officials said based on their assessment, the city should look at updating the comprehensive plan.
Officials recommended Topical Considerations for the plan update including:
-What is the role and opportunity for mixing uses?
-To what extent should the City’s housing stock meet all community needs?
-To what extent can residential uses be located in close proximity to non-residential?
-What is meant by “small town” feel?
-What comprises a great neighborhood?
-What can be done to create a stronger sense of place?
-What role should Marysville play in the region?
They also offered some practical recommendations. Officials said the city should expand its planning areas outside the city to take growth and outside influences into account. Greene said the city can create policy and infrastructure improvements to promote growth in priority areas while discouraging it in other areas.
Greene said if the city is going to move forward with updating the plan, it has to be used. He said the process is too difficult and too expensive to undertake if it won’t be used. He said the plan needs to be “institutionalized.” He said it needs to be both a long-term planning document that helps set policies, projects and programs but also be part of the thought process for day-to-day operations.
He said council needs to consider how far into the future it wants to plan, how far from the city limits it wants to consider, what are the values that will drive decisions.
Greene said that before council begins the updating process, members and the community need to “begin with the end in mind.”
“How would this place be different if we had the plan we wanted in place?” Greene asked.
Council President Donald Boerger said he believes the community wants to preserve its history and return to the way things used to be.
“I feel like Marysville is losing everything that makes us unique,” he said, adding that increasing trees and protecting the city’s uptown will be priorities for him.
He added that he wants to give Marysville an identity that it has not had in the past.
Council member Mark Reams said he feels it will be important to address not just physical issues like finances and infrastructure but also “soft issues” like neighborhood feelings, kindness and a sense of belonging.
Planning Next said it would like to be considered as part of the plan update process but that will not impact its assessment of the current plan.