With the GroveCity2050 plan poised for adoption, the next question will be how to make sure the strategic plan's recommended objectives and actions are implemented.
"A working group is the term that (steering committee co-chairwoman Wendi Faulkner) came up with to describe it," said Ed Fleming, steering committee co-chairman. "It will be a working group to make sure the action items are checked off one by one."
Carrying out the plan's recommended actions will be a complex and, in some cases, long-range process, said Kim Shields, community development manager.
"The last thing we want with GroveCity2050 is for it to be a 'shelf plan,' something you adopt, then put on the shelf and forget about," she said. "We've created a document that will be invaluable in guiding the decisions the city makes."
GroveCity2050 serves as an extension and revision of the city's last community plan, adopted in 1999, Mayor Richard "Ike" Stage said.
"It's an extremely healthy experience when you go back and review past plans and overlay future visions," he said. "I consider the 2050 plan to be a visionary type of document."
The 2050 plan "should be a heavily used reference document," Stage said.
"As new development is brought to our attention, we can do a sanity check against the document," he said.
The plan's recommendations regarding development can be used "as a check-off list" for city officials to judge whether a proposal fits what the community is looking for, he said.
The plan was scheduled to be presented Jan. 16 to Grove City Council, which will consider a resolution to accept the community plan.
"We want to make sure we're not stuck in the past, that we're moving forward and making the right choices regarding growth," Shields said.
"We recognize that regionally, things are changing. The Columbus metropolitan area is expected to grow by 1 million people over the next 30 years. We've been one of the fastest-growing communities in central Ohio and we expect that will continue.
"At the same time, we don't want to change what we are," she said.
"Everyone loves the small-town charm of Grove City. That's why so many people and businesses want to come here," she said.
GroveCity2050 provides a blueprint for how the city can manage its growth over the coming years, Fleming said.
One of the plan's guiding principles calls for preserving the city's small-town character while continuing to cultivate additional jobs, attract residents and add amenities.
Another guiding principle is that the city will seek development providing a net-fiscal benefit.
The plan lists a number of target industries the city should seek based on Grove City's competitive advantages, community priorities and input from stakeholders.
Those industries include health-care services, tech-flex districts, administrative services, education and training, metals manufacturing and distribution logistics.
Other guiding principles in the draft plan include:
* Quality design is emphasized for all uses to create an attractive and distinctive public and private realm.
* Places will be connected to improve the function of the street network and create safe opportunities to walk, bicycle and access public transportation throughout the community.
* Future development will preserve, protect and enhance the city's natural and built character through sustainable practices, prioritizing parks and open space, and emphasizing historic preservation.
The plan presents goals regarding land use, transportation and economic development, each supported by a number of objectives to set specific policies, projects and programs.
The land use section has a future land use and character map that serves as a guide to how the city should use its land resources in the future.
"Everyone knows about Beulah Park, but there's a lot more going on in the city than that," Fleming said. "What will be happening in our eastern corridor in relation to the OhioHealth project is exciting, as well as down by the Mount Carmel expansion."
GroveCity2050 is truly a "community" plan, Shields said.
From the start of the 18-month process, the level of public participation has been overwhelming and invaluable, she said.
"We had so many people apply that we decided to expand the number of positions on the steering committee and create some working groups to include people who weren't selected for the steering committee," Shields said.
"We had participants representing all areas and demographics of our community," she said.
That helped ensure a diversity of viewpoints were considered as the plan was developed, she said.
"To have so many people participate is a compliment to our process and our community," Stage said. That there were so many people willing to step up and be part of the 2050 process says a lot about our community."
"If folks delve into the document and read it, I think they'll get a clear picture of why we're where we are at and where we want to go in the future," Fleming said.
The final plan can be viewed on the city's website, grovecityohio.gov.
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