The city is exploring whether there is interest in having small commercial centers within walking or biking distance of more neighborhoods.
With a few cases of commercial developments already located in or near residential areas, the Columbus Plan Commission asked the city planning department to see if neighborhood businesses — grocery stores, bookstores or bakeries, for example — could be successfully incorporated into more residential areas, said Emilie Pinkston, senior planner with the city.
As part of their study, city planners examined existing neighborhood commercial areas at 11th Street and Lafayette Avenue; 16th Street and Home Avenue; 23rd and California streets; 25th Street and Talley Road; and Gladstone and McKinley avenues, said Jeff Bergman, city-county planning director.
Resident input was sought through a survey sent to 855 households, with 95 responses received, Pinkston said.
Columbus planners also sought input from outside of the city, including Carmel, Westfield and Bloomington to learn how neighborhood commercial areas are developed in those communities.
For more on this story, see Thursday’s Republic.
