The City of Columbus – Bartholomew County Planning Department, together with Columbus Regional Health (CRH), invite the public to attend an upcoming open house to review and provide input on the draft City View District Plan. The envisioned City View District occupies the approximately 690 acres owned by Columbus Regional Health to the southwest of downtown Columbus, generally south of Jonathan Moore Pike / State Road 46 between I-65 to the west and the Louisville & Indiana Railroad to the east. This property was acquired by Columbus Regional Health in 2018 and has also been known as Garden City Farms.
The open house will be held at NexusPark, 2380 25th Street, the evening of Wednesday, May 31, 2023. The public is welcome to attend any time between 6 and 8 p.m. to view plan information and provide input on the topics of land use and development, parks and open space, and housing on the property. A brief presentation of the draft plan will be provided for those in attendance at 6:45 p.m. that evening. Attendees should park in the NexusPark lot at the corner of 25th Street and Herman Darlage Drive and enter through the doors nearest to Riviera Maya restaurant.
The City View District planning process is a collaboration between Columbus Regional Health and the City of Columbus, aided by consultant Design Workshop. The process seeks to establish a vision for the long-term future development of the property. The resulting plan is intended to serve as both a master plan to guide CRH decision making as property owner and a component of the City of Columbus Comprehensive Plan.
The Comprehensive Plan is the City’s adopted policy guide regarding city-wide long-term land use, development, and transportation. The Comprehensive Plan currently includes components providing overall goals and polices and addressing land use, thoroughfares, and bicycle & pedestrian facilities. If adopted, the City View District Plan would join the State Street Corridor Plan, Central Neighborhood Plan, and Central Avenue Corridor Plan in addressing specific areas of the community. The current Comprehensive Plan may be viewed at https://www.columbus.in.gov/planning/comprehensive-plans/.
The draft City View District Plan has been guided by goals for the property to be (1) connected to nature, (2) catalytic for further growth in the Columbus area, (3) a focal point of community-focused health and well-being, (4) future-oriented and flexible as lifestyles and development patterns evolve, and (5) innovative in promoting healthy lifestyles. The draft plan proposes, in addition to a future health care facility, a variety of residential neighborhoods, commercial centers, and a research & development campus. These areas are connected to each other and nature by open spaces, green corridors, and amenities that extend throughout the property. The district as a whole would be well-connected with the remainder of the city through new north-south and east-west thoroughfares. These routes incorporate bicycle and pedestrian facilities in coordination with the City’s current Thoroughfare and Bicycle & Pedestrian Plans. The draft plan acknowledges the important role of development on this property as a catalyst for placemaking, economic development, new housing opportunities, and sustainability.
The draft City View District Plan can be reviewed at https://www.columbus.in.gov/planning/columbus-current-projects/. This webpage also includes information about the May 31 public open house.
In order to be considered as an element of the City of Columbus Comprehensive Plan, the City View District Plan must first be reviewed by the City of Columbus Plan Commission and adopted by the Columbus City Council. The public will have an opportunity to participate at these future meetings as well.
Questions regarding the open house or draft City View District Plan may be directed to City of Columbus Planning Director Jeff Bergman at 812.376.2550 or jbergman@columbus.in.gov and/or Columbus Regional Health Public Relations Coordinator Kelsey DeClue at 812.376.5342 or kdeclue@crh.org.
