The involvement of a potential developer for the United Methodist Children's Home site in Worthington presents a "fresh new look" and would represent a step in the right direction, according to several city leaders and a prominent community group.
Worthington announced via the city website last week there was "ongoing dialogue taking place to determine the future" of the 42-acre UMCH site, 1033 High St.
The conversations reportedly involved Yaromir Steiner, the CEO of Steiner + Associates known for his work developing Easton Town Center, the owners of the former children's home and Lifestyle Communities.
The UMCH site has been a source of local controversy since UMCH closed the residential facility for troubled youths in December 2010.
Multiple ideas for developments have been shot down by residents, including a massive mixed-use project planned by Lifestyle Communities that was presented in 2015.
Since that presentation, LC has not commented on the property and has not advanced any plans.
The only progress on the site has been an OhioHealth plan announced in 2016 for a two-story, 20,000-square-foot medical facility on the east side of the property.
Now, however, Steiner is "exploring opportunities" for the site, according to the city.
Lisa Hinson, a spokeswoman for Steiner, said the developer would not comment on his involvement, but she submitted a statement attributed to Steiner.
"We are exploring with Lifestyle Communities, the city of Worthington and community groups Steiner's possible involvement," it read.
Representatives from LC did not return calls for comment and have not commented for stories since 2015.
Worthington City Council President Bonnie Michael said Steiner's involvement is "very encouraging."
"To be honest, he would be a whole fresh new look at the project, and he has a very strong background with the Urban Land Institute (of Columbus) that brings a lot of thought process and community involvement in deciding what is going to happen on a parcel," she said. "I think there would be a lot of community dialogue, which would be great, and I think it would be very refreshing."
Michael said Steiner has "met with some of the city leaders" about the prospects of taking over the site but he has not presented anything concrete.
"It appears that Yaromir is doing an exploratory search – exploring the site, exploring the public climate – in deciding whether he wants to go through with this project or not," she said.
City Manager Matt Greeson said in an email the conversations were "introductory," but Steiner's involvement is a positive in the eyes of city officials.
"We are excited about renewed interest in the site, particularly by such a well-known and regarded developer," he said. "Conversations about the site have been introductory at this point and its too early to ascertain what could be proposed. We are glad that he is already engaging members of the community and are looking forward to working with him as he moves forward."
Part of Steiner "exploring the public climate" was to meet with representatives from the Worthington Alliance for Responsible Development.
The group had opposed many of LC's ideas for a development on the UMCH site. In January, it submitted a 27-page document called WARD's White Paper that outlined group members' hopes and opinions for the site's future.
Representatives from WARD and Steiner met last month, and WARD member Michael Bates said he and others were "encouraged" by Steiner's "very holistic view of development."
Bates said Steiner was considering "how is this going to affect all of Worthington, not just the immediate vicinity" and had "done his research on Worthington -- the history and its brand."
"He didn't have any specific plans," Bates said. "It was mostly a philosophical conversation. But he had read our White Paper and all the documents we had sent him ... and he was clearly well-prepared."
That lack of a specific plan is a positive for Michael, who called it "a very positive thing" after she said she heard the same thing from Steiner.
"There is no development plan," she said. "If he takes the project on, he's going to start meeting with the community and then develop a plan."
However, Bates said, Steiner made it clear he "would need to have complete control" of the project if he were to move forward.
"What that means, I have no idea," Bates said.
Councilman David Robinson, whose 2017 campaign for City Council focused on development issues, said any rezoning request or work on the site "needs to be for a project in the long-term interests of the residents" rather than "the short-term gain of a developer."
"This is a once-in-history opportunity," he said in an email. "It's now or never. We can achieve an outcome that greatly benefits the life of our community while benefiting the city financially, or we can develop a variation of Lifestyle Communities' project with all of its problems and mediocrity. I believe the residents want something great in the heart of our city."
For Michael, who said she was frustrated by a lack of action on the site, most progress would be considered good progress for one of the only remaining parcels for development in Worthington. And if Steiner can take a thoughtful approach to development, she said, she thinks it could be a benefit for the entire city.
"I think it's a parcel of property that really could be a jewel if properly developed for our city right across the street from our city center," she said. "I also think the United Methodist Children's Home's mission is to be helping children. So as long as it's not developing, they're not getting the funds they should have to be able to carry out their mission.
"So if this moves forward, I think it's a win-win, as long as it's developed in a way that the developer listens to the community."
aking@thisweeknews.com
@ThisWeekAndrew