Strategic Plan

Council Approves Engage New Albany Strategic Plan

The City of New Albany would like to thank the more than 1,300 residents who participated in the Engage New Albany strategic plan process during a 21-month period. The plan, formally approved by City Council at their meeting on March 16, 2021, will help lay the foundation for our future residential and commercial efforts, recognize important future road and trail networks, and create new community gathering places for all of us to enjoy. You can review the entire Engage New Albany Strategic Plan document in this section. You can also access a PDF of the plan by clicking the button below.

Driving Growth to Advance Our Quality of Life and Reduce the Tax Burden

The city is projected to grow from 10,729 to 14-15,000 residents, 15,470 to 29-30,000 employees and 16.72 square miles to 21.14 square miles. With 31 percent of land use devoted to residential and 43 percent allocated to business, it is the only suburb among its peers – Dublin, Powell, Gahanna, Westerville and Upper Arlington — where commercial land use exceeds residential. More than 80% of the city’s general fund revenues are income tax revenues and the majority of those revenues are from the business park. The city hopes to advance policies that will continue to reduce the residential tax burden by growing the percentage of revenue from commercial uses.

Plan Overview

As a master-planned community, New Albany collaborates with residents and businesses through our strategic planning process to achieve an outstanding community of choice. The strategic planning process addresses community amenities, connectivity, mixed-use environments, parks and open spaces, quality architecture, traditional neighborhoods and versatile residential choices.

Since the city’s first master plan was adopted in 1998, it has been updated every five years to effectively manage the growth that many successful communities experience and to adopt a forward-thinking approach to shaping the built environment by identifying and prioritizing community needs and planning for their development. We also work to ensure that New Albany’s four pillars – lifelong learning, arts and culture, health and wellness and environmental sustainability – are reflected in our future vision.

Plan Purpose

The Strategic Plan is the key policy guide for City Council, boards and commissions, and staff as they evaluate land use, development, annexation and infrastructure decisions, as well as the character, location and extent of public investments and private development proposals in New Albany.

Strategic planning enables us to effectively prioritize community needs, prudently allocate city revenue, guide private development, maintain community character, manage public infrastructure investment and generate income to support services.

Areas of consideration include:

Land use planning — uses, density and form
Thoroughfare/transportation planning — identifying areas of concern and addressing future growth to mitigate congestion and accommodate multiple modes
Focused site planning – identifying areas for future growth and developing specific plans to encourage appropriate uses
Sustainability – measuring success and developing effective initiatives to achieve continued progress

Planning Process

The strategic planning process will assess current conditions, evaluate opportunities for public infrastructure investment and private development and provide a phased roadmap for future decision making.

Public Participation

Public participation is at the heart of New Albany’s ability to determine what matters most during the strategic planning process.

A Steering Committee

made up of representatives of neighborhoods, businesses, government agencies, community groups and local institutions will guide work closely with the city and its consultants to guide and advise the planning team.

Three community workshops

will be conducted to gather insights and input, share progress and seek feedback as the plan begins to take shape.

Focus Group Roundtables

The planning team will conduct a series of roundtables on the following issues: community services, amenities and programs, transportation, sustainability, the Village Center and parks and open spaces.

Mobile meetings and displays

will provide additional opportunities for individuals to learn about the process and share their opinions.

Neighborhood Gatherings

will provide another opportunity to solicit input and feedback throughout the community.

Web-based surveys and comment forms

will be used to seek additional insights as well as evaluate findings.

Digital Learning Lab

As the City, residents and businesses work together to proactively plan for an outstanding community of choice, the New Albany Community Development Department is sharing the resources below to provide information from a variety of national and state sources on strategic planning policy, urban design, density, walkability and sustainability. To provide an overview, we recommend starting with the video by urbanist, Jan Gehl. Feel free to share these resources with others in our community.

Urban Design

How public spaces make cities work, Amanda Burden, Ted Talk

Cities for People, Jan Gehl, Ted Talk

Jeff Speck: 4 Ways to Make a City More Walkable, Ted Talk

Soul of the Community, Knight Foundation

Insight 2050 Summary Report, MORPC, Columbus 2020, and ULI Columbus

Defying Expectations for Master-Planned Communities, Urban Land Institute

Density

Visualizing Compatible Density, Bob Bengford

Dense by Design, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission

Visualizing Density, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Walkability

Foot Traffic Ahead: Ranking Walkable Urbanism in America’s Largest Metros, George Washington University and Smart Growth America

The Economic Power of Walkability in Metro Areas, Brookings Institution

Walkable Neighborhoods, Walk Score

Sustainability

Local Sustainability: A menu of policy options for greening communities, Policy Matters Ohio

A Green New Deal: 10 ways to promote a sustainable Ohio, Policy Matters Ohio

Regional Sustainability Agenda 2017-2020, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission

Harvesting the Value of Water, Urban Land Institute

City Planning Resources

The City of New Albany looks forward to shaping an even better vision for our future. We encourage residents and business owners to review the plans below for more information.

New Albany Resources and Additional Resources

2014 New Albany Strategic Plan

2014 Strategic Plan Executive Summary

2015 New Albany Strategic Plan Addendum

Rocky Fork Blacklick Accord Plan

Economic Development Strategic Plan

Leisure Trail Priorities

Leisure Trail Master Plan

Village Center Plan

Bike New Albany Plan

Village Center Stormwater Mitigation Strategy

Rose Run Greenway Study

Triangle Plan

Research and Information District

Urban Land Institute

MORPC

Western Licking County Accord

American Planning Association

Planning Team

Under the direction of the Community Development Department, an internal Working Group led by MKSK, a planning, urban design and landscape architecture firm, will oversee the planning process with regular input from the Steering Committee. Stephen Mayer, development services manager, and Adrienne Joly, director of administrative services, directs the planning process for the City. The committee will provide periodic progress reports to the New Albany Planning Commission.

Steering Committee

Abbey Brooks
Andrea Wiltrout
Ben Collins
Benjamin Reid
Cherie Nelson
Craig Mohre
Dave Wharton
Hans Schell
John McClelland
Jon Iten
Michael Sawyers
Phil Heit
Sloan Spalding
Todd Brubaker
Everett Gallagher
Geoff Clark
Jeff Wilcoxon
Neil Collins
Rob Verst Jr
Tom Rubey
Bill Barrett
Bill Carleton
David Goodman
Dennis Keesee
Holly Cush
Jason Milburn
Jenny Maple
Jill Beckett-Hill
Karl Billisits
Kate Lyaker
Katie Rooney
Kyle Sellers
Mark Neff
Mike Platte
Naomi Maletz
Pete Risch
Sarah Underhill
Teresa Bowman
Charm London
Serina Shores
Yaromir Steiner

For More Information

For more information, contact Engage New Albany below or call the Community Development Department at 614.939.2254.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Strategic Plan?

The Strategic Plan serves as the vision for the City and its partners in successfully guiding future development and improvements. The strategic planning process assesses the current state of the City, evaluates opportunities for public infrastructure investments and private development, and provides a roadmap for future decision making by the Department of Community Development, Planning Commission, and City Council.

Who Develops the Plan?

Public participation is at the heart of New Albany’s ability to determine what matters most during the planning process. Since the first master plan was adopted in 1998, it has been updated every five years, based upon community input and sound planning principles. Under the direction of the New Albany Department of Community Development, an internal Working Group led by the planning, urban design and landscape architecture firm, MKSK, oversees the planning process with regular input from a Steering Committee composed of representatives of the City, neighborhoods, businesses, government agencies, community groups, and local institutions. The Planning Commission receives monthly updates on the plan’s progress.

How Will the Plan Be Developed?

The process is undertaken in three stages: 1) community engagement, 2) visioning and opportunities analysis, and 3) plan synthesis – each of which will include a review with the Steering Committee. Throughout the project, community workshops, focus group roundtables, mobile meetings, neighborhood gatherings, and surveys ensures broad public input. The outcome is a user-friendly and graphically-rich document that will provide the City of New Albany with an updated vision for the community and an implementation strategy to pursue it.

What Areas of the City Does the Plan Encompass?

The study includes the entire City of New Albany. The study area boundary is congruent with potential growth areas based on future water and sewer service areas.

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