City of Gahanna

From planning the redevelopment of Olde Gahanna more than a decade ago, to creating the current economic development strategies for future growth, OHM Advisors is a trusted partner in the evolution of this thriving city.

Overview Our Approach Our Impact

Overview

Reinventing a community, one innovative project at a time.

Services

Architecture Engineering Urban Design Planning

Client

City of Gahanna, OH

Beginning with the original Creekside project, OHM Advisors has brought a multidisciplinary approach to many of the city’s initiatives. Time and again, we combine expertise in architecture, planning, and engineering to solve challenges and deliver innovative solutions. Across projects, across our various disciplines, and across the city, we remain focused on Gahanna’s ultimate objective of redefining itself as one of Central Ohio’s most vibrant, flourishing locales and advancing sustainable growth that will benefit the community as a whole.

Above and beyond providing technical expertise, we’re there to help the city understand the needs and wants of its business and residential constituents; define its vision based on those wants and needs; and successfully partner with community organizations and private developers to realize its goals. Along the way, we educate and engage stakeholders, building consensus and a collective sense of ownership in the city. Most importantly, we serve as a trusted advisor and a go-to source of advice and direction as Gahanna continues to move forward, developing into a thriving, world-class community.

Thinking Differently

Economic Development Plan: Promoting sustainable development and attracting new jobs and investment.

Long ingrained in the city’s redevelopment vision, OHM Advisors partnered with city leadership to create the new five-year economic development plan for strategic growth. First, we broke the city into five focus areas based on existing usage and zoning. Then we studied existing market conditions and interviewed stakeholders to understand the city’s economic potential and the community need within each area. From there, we created tangible strategies, based on market realities, for specific development types in each area. The plan provides the city with guiding principles to ensure resources are used efficiently and that plans for future development are targeted to areas with the greatest economic potential.

Hamilton Road Corridor Plan: Redefining the city’s gateway.

The Hamilton Road Corridor serves as one of the key entry sequences into the city, connecting US-62/Granville Street to a major commercial corridor on Morse Road. As part of the larger visioning plan for Gahanna, OHM Advisors brought together our planning, land development, and urban design experts to create a comprehensive plan for revitalizing the corridor. With input from businesses and residents, we identified priority development areas. We created plans for redeveloping these areas into mixed-use, institutional, and residential spaces, ultimately elevating both the aesthetics and economic landscape. As a finishing touch, we included branding and wayfinding elements to reposition the corridor as an attractive, inviting gateway into the city.

West Gahanna Transportation Study: Solving a traffic problem to pave the way for future development.

Gahanna’s west side has the capacity to support new office, commercial, and residential development, which will fuel the revitalization of West Gahanna and improve the urban fabric and quality of life. Ironically, the roads are the major roadblock to growth. To determine the cause behind the intense traffic congestion, our planners put their heads together with our transportation engineers to study the infrastructure. We proposed significant transportation system improvements, including removing a traditional signalized intersection to create through movement, a new connector road, and streetscape improvements. Our multidisciplinary approach laid plans to open up a previously untapped region of the city. City leaders are currently pursuing funding to transform these plans into a reality that will fulfill its vision for the west side.

Big Walnut Trail: Improving connectivity through alternative transportation options.

OHM Advisors designed sections of the Big Walnut Trail Corridor that connect Gahanna residents to some of the community’s best amenities. Our work on section 5 of the Big Walnut Trail added approximately 4,500 linear feet of multi-use trail facilities that wind around the golf course and connect section 6 to the south and McCorkle Park and residential neighborhoods to the north. Eventually, the northern terminus will link section 4, which will connect to sections 1, 2, and 3 and to Morse Road. The trail additions make it easy and enjoyable for residents to walk or bike to city destinations. Beyond encouraging eco-friendly transportation, the project helps preserve environmentally sensitive community resources.

Downtown Vision Plan: Charting the course for future improvements.

Creating a vibrant and successful downtown area depends a lot on what community members want and need from the area. So we asked them to weigh in, facilitating meetings and surveys with business owners and residents to find out what stakeholders envisioned for the future of their downtown. Based on this visioning process, we identified and prioritized potential development areas throughout the district. And we created Planning Principles and Downtown Design Standards to guide future development and infrastructure improvements, giving the city a powerful toolbox to continue its evolution and realize its collective vision.

Creekside Gahanna: Kickstarting a city’s reinvention.

Representing the first phase in a broader downtown revitalization plan, Creekside is a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly town center that essentially put Olde Gahanna on the map. OHM Advisors helped create the master plan, which includes several vertically-integrated, mixed-use buildings designed around a unique public plaza with flexible outdoor space and eclectic architecture. We helped establish the innovative public-private partnership that brought the vision to life, and we helped garner public support. Today, Creekside in an integral, recognizable part of Gahanna’s social fabric that continues to evolve. It has attracted new business and served as a catalyst for additional revitalization, including the downtown streetscape treatment.

"OHM Advisors uses an inclusive process, creative approach and consistently produces high quality projects. They're a great partner that seeks to thoroughly understand the goals of the community before proposing solutions."

Anthony Jones - Director of Planning and Development, City of Gahanna, Ohio

Awards and Honors

Community

Advancing Communities

Inspired by the potential to utilize the Big Walnut Creek as a catalyst for broader revitalization, Gahanna’s city leaders have embarked on city-wide redevelopment efforts that are bringing their vision for their city to life one project at a time. OHM Advisors has been a proud partner in that transformation from day one, bringing technical expertise in architecture, planning, and engineering as well as trusted advice and support along the journey.

Recognizing the continuous need for community buy-in and support, we helped launch public outreach campaigns to engage stakeholders in the decision-making process. Through consensus building efforts, a sense of community has blossomed, nurturing pride and ownership in the strategic, sustainable expansion that continues to happen throughout the city.

Today Gahanna has a vibrant downtown and central community hub. It has an identifiable sense of place. It knows who it is and where it’s going, and business and residential stakeholders are on board. What’s more, Gahanna has the tools it needs to continue growing. The city has the confidence to successfully partner with businesses, organizations, and development partners to continue building its vision and delivering on the promise of being one of the region’s top destinations to live and work.

Our Work for Gahanna

Community Planning & Visioning
Zoning Code Updates
Overlay District Standards
Architectural Design & Documentation
Traffic Impact Analysis
Streetscape & Gateway Design
Landscape Architecture & Documentation
Economic Development
Stormwater Master Planning

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