About Worthington

Founded in 1803, Worthington began as a planned New England-style community and has grown from a small village into an established Columbus suburb. Much of its growth occurred following World War II through residential development and annexation. The completion of I-270 in the 1970s helped establish the city's northern boundary. Its location along I-270 and U.S. 23 provides regional accessibility and proximity to several of the Columbus Region's northern suburbs.

According to the 2020 U.S. Census report, the city is home to 14,786 residents across 6,406 housing units. Its population skews older than the state overall, with a median age of 43.2 years compared with 39.8 years statewide. Nearly 22% of its population is 65 or older.

Though its population is just shy of 15,000 residents, Worthington City Schools serves a much broader community including portions of Columbus, Riverlea, Sharon Township and Perry Township, with roughly 10,700 students enrolled across the district, according to the district website.

Largely surrounded by other jurisdictions, Worthington has a fixed geographic footprint with limited land available for traditional new development. Its future growth will increasingly depend on infill and redevelopment.

The Big Picture: City of Worthington Versus the Submarket

While the city of Worthington sits squarely in the center of the submarket and covers 5.5 square miles, the larger submarket expands north of I-270 to the southern edge of Delaware County and south of the city of Worthington toward the northern edge of Clintonville.

Each tells a different story.

Not surprisingly, the larger submarket contains substantially more commercial inventory. Office inventory alone totals 5.9 million square feet across 241 buildings, compared with 2.1 million square feet across 87 buildings within the city. The composition and performance of that inventory also differ.

To break this down further, the area north of I-270, which includes the Crosswoods district, sits at 21.5% vacancy, versus the city of Worthington which sits at 17%. This indicates more available space further north. Retail vacancy in the larger submarket is 2.9%, but vacancy increases within the city boundaries to 5.8%. Industrial and flex properties mirror each other with vacancy nearly identical at 2.7% within Worthington and 2.8% across the larger submarket.

What’s Next

Worthington has seen relatively little new commercial development over the past several decades. Limited available land, an established building stock and community concerns about the scale and character of new development have all shaped what has been built. While the region is experiencing growth and demand, Worthington’s limited and aging supply has made it more difficult to compete for users seeking newer space and modern amenities.

Because municipal revenue relies heavily on income tax, attracting and retaining employers is an important component of the city's fiscal health, particularly as expenses continue to rise.

Against that backdrop, an initiative to update the city’s comprehensive plan is underway. The plan would guide decisions about future land use, development and subsequent zoning changes. For a community with limited developable land, those decisions will have a direct bearing on where additional residential density, mixed-use development and commercial reinvestment can occur. The plan is currently in front of Worthington City Council for review, with adoption expected by the end of this year.

Development Projects to Watch

1. Shops at Worthington Place (High North / Formerly Worthington Mall) – Listed for sale, the site has been pre-approved to build a 10-story office building with four to five stories of parking or multifamily.
2. Worthington Gateway – Located at the intersection of High Street and U.S. 23, on the site of the former Holiday Inn, Worthington Gateway is comprised of five fully leased retail outparcels and a four-story office building which sits in the middle of the site and is currently 95% leased.
3. 6700 N. High St. – Formerly the Anthem building, the building sat vacant before being sold to Olive AI on a land contract but was defaulted on and returned to the original owner who is examining possibilities for the site including senior housing, hotel, office and retail.
4. 1033 High St. – Purchased by Lifestyle Communities, the former United Methodist Children’s Home site sits on approximately 45 acres. Lifestyle has proposed a high-density mixed-use project that has faced opposition. Lifestyle Communities is likely waiting on the rollout of the comprehensive master plan before determining what they will present next.
5. 127 E. Wilson Bridge Rd. – Plans call for a new 45,000-square-foot multitenant office project. In a city where little new office product has been introduced, the project will provide a useful test of demand for newer space.
6. W. Wilson Bridge Road – Crawford Hoying has proposed a mixed-use development on 17 acres that would include 250 multifamily units, eight townhomes, 182 condominiums, 150 senior living units and 290 hotel rooms. Plans also call for 211,000 square feet of office space, 134,600 square feet of retail and 2,381 parking spaces. The project would preserve two Class A buildings at 250 Old Wilson Bridge Road and 300 W. Wilson Bridge Road while demolishing three office buildings.
7. I Am Boundless, Inc. – Located at the corner of S.R. 161 and Proprietors Road, I Am Boundless Inc. is selling roughly 20 acres of its 48-acre site to Elford Inc. Elford has proposed 246 apartments with a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedrooms, including 74 units that are allocated to workforce housing.

Many of these projects remain subject to planning, zoning or further review. Their progress, along with the city's comprehensive planning process, will provide a clearer picture of where investment in Worthington is headed.