Business & Development

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Introduction | Economic Development Insight | Business Survey

Economic Development Insight

Master Plan

- Master Plan Introduction
- Community Process in Creating the Master Plan
- Conceptual Plan
- Zoning and Building Codes Explained
- Link to Master Plan section

Introduction

Upper Arlington’s new Master Plan was adopted March 26, 2001, following three years of planning and participation from numerous community members.

Landlocked and fully developed, less than five percent of the City’s land use is dedicated to commercial activities and, of this, only 1.1 percent of the land is developed with the highest income tax generating use, commercial office. Local income tax is a key revenue source and, as such, infrastructure maintenance and City service demands are outpacing the City’s funding capacity as it is currently developed. Wishing to address these issues, Upper Arlington City Council initiated an update to the City’s 1962 Master Plan.

Eight goals helped direct development of the new Master Plan:
· Land Use - Recognize the City’s residential nature while enhancing redevelopment and revitalization.
· Economy - Place emphasis on creating a stronger, more diverse economy.
· Community Appearance - Preserve and enhance neighborhoods, natural surroundings and architectural amenities.
· Community Facilities - Maintain/expand community facilities for recreational, social and cultural opportunities.
· Community Services - Provide high-quality, cost-effective community services.
· Housing - Facilitate provision of a range of well-built housing to accommodate all ages.
· Transportation - Provide a comprehensive, safe and convenient network.
· Implementation - Emphasize accountability, fiscal soundness, monitoring and appropriate regulations, while fostering citizen and business involvement.

From these goals, 184 specific implementation strategies were developed falling within four key actions the City must undertake to realize the overall goals of the Plan:

· Undertake redevelopment using the Study Areas as the framework - Several key areas are identified for potential redevelopment to create a mix of office, retail, residential, and civic use. These areas are: Kingsdale Shopping Center; Tremont Center; Henderson Road corridor; Lane Avenue corridor; Northwest Boulevard (south of Zollinger); the Mallway; and commercial areas along State Route 33.

· Create land use tools - Develop tools to enhance and protect the City’s character while giving guidance and control for redevelopment. Update the City’s Planning and Zoning Code and create a series of development standards and guidelines to permit and encourage mixed-use development.

· Provide incentives to encourage desirable change - To stay competitive in the region and attract desirable development, consider a combination of economic and zoning incentives.

· Improve the City’s fiscal capacity - To ensure the community has adequate, stable funding, redevelopment strategies should encourage intensified land use in existing commercial areas and emphasize office development to generate increased revenues.

Keeping the Master Plan Relevant
Implementation of the Master Plan is an ongoing process for the City. Every Staff Report that goes before City Council references at least one Master Plan strategy that is being addressed by any given project. Annually, City Staff makes a review of achievements in realizing the Master Plan through an Annual Report process.

By the very nature of the Master Plan, staff recognizes that significant progress would be made early on in the implementation phase, and this level of progress would likely trail off over time. In addition, themes would begin to evolve that should be addressed by the community, either in the immediate future or during the 10-year Master Plan update process.

Significant progress has been and continues to be made toward realizing the 184 strategies and overall goals, with more than 60% of the Master Plan document addressed in a meaningful way since its adoption.

The Master Plan primary goal to preserve and enhance the community’s overall quality of life while assuring fiscal stability over the long term is an easy concept to embrace, however finding the means to realize this goal is the challenge that the community currently faces.

Major Master Plan initiatives are reliant on market forces and the occurrence of redevelopment opportunities. In addition, the needs and desires of our citizenry will evolve over time. Not every avenue explored will be accepted by the community or advantageous for implementation by the City, but we should continue to embrace new and innovative approaches to any given issue or strategy in order to identify what will be a good fit for Upper Arlington.

Just as it took many decades for the City to grow and prosper since its inception at the turn of the last Century, the interpretation and implementation of the Master Plan will take many decades. Preparing an annual report, a strategy identified within the Master Plan, provides a convenient means to monitor progress over the short-term, and to identify unexpected issues and developments that may trigger Master Plan adjustments, as a prelude to a complete review and update in 2011.

Matt Shad
Deputy City Manager-Economic Development
City Manager's Office
City of Upper Arlington
3600 Tremont Road
Upper Arlington, Ohio 43221
Phone: 614-583-5046
www.ua-ohio.net