Westerville is known for its historic charm, walkable neighborhoods, parks, schools, and strong sense of community.

Residents are deeply concerned about the proposed high-density development at 64 E. Walnut Street, which reportedly includes an 81-room hotel, approximately 250 apartments, a large restaurant, and a five-story parking garage.

This proposed development would sit in the middle of one of Westerville’s busiest and most heavily used community areas — near Hanby Park, the Westerville Public Library, the bike trail, school transportation facilities, single-family neighborhoods, and within close proximity to Whittier Elementary School, Hanby Elementary School, Emerson Elementary School, Blendon Middle School, and Westerville South High School.

The Walnut/State and Walnut/Otterbein corridors, as well as Park Street and Summit Street, already experience significant vehicle and pedestrian traffic, especially during school hours, weekends, community events, and peak business hours in Uptown Westerville. Adding hundreds of additional residents, hotel guests, restaurant traffic, delivery vehicles, and parking garage traffic could create serious congestion and safety concerns in an already heavily traveled area.

Residents are particularly concerned about:

• pedestrian and child safety near schools, parks, sidewalks, trails, and crossings
• conflicts with school transportation and bus traffic
• increased congestion at already busy intersections and neighborhood streets
• strain on roads, parking, utilities, and local infrastructure
• noise, lighting, and quality-of-life impacts
• the incompatibility of a large-scale urban-style development beside established residential neighborhoods and community spaces
• the lack of meaningful community input before advancing the sale and development process

Westerville can continue to grow responsibly without sacrificing the character, safety, accessibility, and livability that make our community special.

Development in this area should be appropriately scaled, carefully planned, and compatible with the surrounding neighborhoods, schools, parks, and public spaces.

We respectfully urge the City of Westerville, Planning Commission, and City Council to pause and reconsider the proposed sale and redevelopment plans for 64 E. Walnut Street until residents have had meaningful opportunities for community engagement and the long-term impacts on traffic, safety, infrastructure, and neighborhood character have been fully evaluated.

If redevelopment moves forward, residents strongly urge city leaders to significantly reduce the scale and density of the project to better reflect the needs and concerns of the community.

Please sign this petition to help protect the safety, accessibility, and character of Westerville.