Background
The City of Bexley, Ohio was largely developed in the early part of the 20th century as a first-ring suburb of the City of Columbus. Incorporated as a village in 1908 and then as a city in 1932, Bexley is characterized by diverse historic residential neighborhoods, several high-profile public and private educational institutions, and a walkable Main Street area with pedestrian-friendly retail and cultural establishments. As a historic community with very little in the way of vacant sites, land-use patterns are established and mature.
An Introduction to the Bexley Land Use Strategy
As time has progressed, very little has changed in the way of land-use within the City of Bexley. It is the belief of the commission that this is largely as it should be; Bexley is very successful as a residential community, and the character and integrity of the residential neighborhoods with which Bexley is often associated must be preserved and enhanced. However, one of the primary challenges historic suburbs like the City of Bexley face is appropriately evolving to the changing demands of land-use, and proactively encouraging new and appropriate development in the place of aging and functionally/economically obsolete real estate.
While Bexley's Main Street corridor has seen tremendous development over recent years and throughout its history, other commercial corridors in the city have lagged behind, and even Main Street is a constantly evolving corridor which needs to be reevaluated on a regular basis in terms of land-use planning.
Bexley has never before created a Land Use Strategy. However, as other communities become increasingly competitive in providing community amenities and innovative land-use strategies, and as Bexley's land-use patterns continue to require re-examination and community input, a holistic Land-Use Plan that addresses all areas of the city and provides a community-based strategic vision for the City becomes increasingly necessary.
The Bexley Land Use Strategy Commission was formed by Bexley City Council to provide a strategic vision and framework for land use planning in the City. By examining the strengths and weaknesses of current land use patterns and exploring possibilities for change and enhancement to land use in the city, it is the charge of this commission to create a Land Use Plan that will cast a vision for land use in the city, and provide a roadmap for how to realize that vision.
Over the coming months, the Bexley Land Use Commission will meet to establish a mission statement, identify specific goals, and begin to discuss specific areas of the city that need to be addressed by the community in the form of a land use plan. This blog will serve as one form of communication as to the progress of the commision, and it is our hope that feedback and commentary provided by readers of the blog will help to inform the process. Keep checking regularly for updates, and please leave comments and thoughts as you follow along.
- Ben Kessler
Ben Kessler is a member of the Bexley Land Use Strategy Commission as well as a council member of Bexley City Council. When he's not blogging about Bexley's Land Use Strategy he is a commercial real estate appraiser at Samuel D. Koon & Associates.
The City of Bexley, Ohio was largely developed in the early part of the 20th century as a first-ring suburb of the City of Columbus. Incorporated as a village in 1908 and then as a city in 1932, Bexley is characterized by diverse historic residential neighborhoods, several high-profile public and private educational institutions, and a walkable Main Street area with pedestrian-friendly retail and cultural establishments. As a historic community with very little in the way of vacant sites, land-use patterns are established and mature.
An Introduction to the Bexley Land Use Strategy
As time has progressed, very little has changed in the way of land-use within the City of Bexley. It is the belief of the commission that this is largely as it should be; Bexley is very successful as a residential community, and the character and integrity of the residential neighborhoods with which Bexley is often associated must be preserved and enhanced. However, one of the primary challenges historic suburbs like the City of Bexley face is appropriately evolving to the changing demands of land-use, and proactively encouraging new and appropriate development in the place of aging and functionally/economically obsolete real estate.
While Bexley's Main Street corridor has seen tremendous development over recent years and throughout its history, other commercial corridors in the city have lagged behind, and even Main Street is a constantly evolving corridor which needs to be reevaluated on a regular basis in terms of land-use planning.
Bexley has never before created a Land Use Strategy. However, as other communities become increasingly competitive in providing community amenities and innovative land-use strategies, and as Bexley's land-use patterns continue to require re-examination and community input, a holistic Land-Use Plan that addresses all areas of the city and provides a community-based strategic vision for the City becomes increasingly necessary.
The Bexley Land Use Strategy Commission was formed by Bexley City Council to provide a strategic vision and framework for land use planning in the City. By examining the strengths and weaknesses of current land use patterns and exploring possibilities for change and enhancement to land use in the city, it is the charge of this commission to create a Land Use Plan that will cast a vision for land use in the city, and provide a roadmap for how to realize that vision.
Over the coming months, the Bexley Land Use Commission will meet to establish a mission statement, identify specific goals, and begin to discuss specific areas of the city that need to be addressed by the community in the form of a land use plan. This blog will serve as one form of communication as to the progress of the commision, and it is our hope that feedback and commentary provided by readers of the blog will help to inform the process. Keep checking regularly for updates, and please leave comments and thoughts as you follow along.
- Ben Kessler
Ben Kessler is a member of the Bexley Land Use Strategy Commission as well as a council member of Bexley City Council. When he's not blogging about Bexley's Land Use Strategy he is a commercial real estate appraiser at Samuel D. Koon & Associates.
