A study of housing development in Worthington shows there is a demand for 2,000 additional homes and recommends adding smaller, closer together and more affordable options in strategic areas.
The Worthington City Council last year commissioned Camoin Associates, a New York-based consulting firm, to conduct a housing needs study. The council voted unanimously last week in favor of the 150-page report.
Before voting, Councilor David Robinson expressed concern about the acceptance of the report, saying it could indicate members endorse everything the report says, which he said he does not. Robinson said the report is “one-sided” and does not mention, for example, community opposition to high-density apartments that have not been properly implemented.
City Manager Robyn Stewart said accepting the report just means the city council has received the information in the report and is ready to move forward.
In addition to Robinson, the rest of the council was more open to the report’s findings.
Councilwoman Beth Kowalczyk said this report fits with what they’ve heard, including that seniors and young adults are being priced out.
“This also stimulates economic development. Employers want to be able to locate where their employees can live. And because we fail to address this problem, fewer and fewer workers in this community can live and work where they live,” Kowalczyk said.
Worthington, a landlocked suburb surrounded by Columbus, currently has nearly 15,000 residents and approximately 6,150 homes. The 5 ½ square miles are already largely developed.
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The report determined the demand for additional housing by adding up the estimated number of burdened residents, displaced commuters and a small number of overcrowded households.
Cost pressure means that a household spends more than 30% of its income on housing. The report shows that a third of renters in Worthington are cost-burdened, and half of those are seniors.
The report refers to displaced commuters as those who work in Worthington and would like to live in the suburb but cannot due to market conditions.
Robinson took issue with the fact that these workers were displaced, saying it makes them sound like victims who were forcibly removed.
Councilwoman Rebecca Hermann said she worked at the AT&T building in Worthington in the 1980s but couldn’t afford housing for her family in the suburb.
“I couldn’t afford it. So I lived in the Worthington school district…I know quite a few tenants who haven’t been able to live in Worthington,” Hermann said. “It was a displacement… and to be honest, I felt a little frustrated.”
Robert J. O’Brien, a senior housing specialist at Camoin, told the City Council during a presentation that he does not think Worthington will be able to add 2,000 units, at least immediately, and that the changes will be incremental will be with a modest addition.
“But that’s how you start to solve this: provide more offerings that can change the market to make it more affordable and affordable for the people who want to live or stay in Worthington,” O’Brien said.
Strategies to diversify housing that Camoin suggests in the report include allowing duplexes, accessory dwelling units, mixed-use development, townhomes along the boundaries between commercial districts and neighborhoods, patio homes and village-style development with smaller homes on smaller plots. The report also suggests strategies to support existing apartment buildings to preserve affordable housing in the suburb.
O’Brien also warned in his presentation that citizens with strong opinions should not have a disproportionate voice in opposing development. He said this is an issue facing every community in America. Camoin, in his report, suggests establishing clear protocols for project approvals to avoid uncertainty for developers that could keep them away from Worthington.
Robinson said he disagreed with the suggestion that Worthington’s trial is not already objective.
Other key findings from the report include:
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In a survey of 676 Worthington residents last year, 73% of Worthington respondents said the city council should be involved in the housing market to advance housing goals.
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As of 2021, only 6% of Worthington residents worked in the suburb and only 3% of the local workforce lived in Worthington.
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While Franklin County saw a 10% increase in new homes between 2010 and 2020, Worthington homes only grew 3% during that time.
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Demand for apartments in Worthington is high and the rental property vacancy rate is 3.6%, below the 5% rate that the report says is healthy.
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Although rents in the area have risen faster than Worthington over the past decade (67% vs. 50%), rents in the suburb are still 17% higher than nearby rents.
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Worthington’s average asking rent last year was $1,719.
jlaird@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared in The Columbus Dispatch: Worthington housing study: Infill housing needed to combat high prices
