Powell City Council's chambers were full on Aug. 4. One resident after another stood up to talk about a park. One speaker said the Powell Fest downtown, the amphitheater and "all those activities downtown are 100% essential to this community," and added, "It can't be in the field north or east of town." Delaware Source reported that the room applauded.
That park is Village Green, and on Saturday, Dec. 5, it hosts Powell's tree lighting. This year the event shares a month with the planning process for the same ground. Pizzuti Solutions, the city's planning consultant, told council it expects to bring a revised concept for Village Green back to council in December. Nearly everything that makes the holiday evening work is on the list of things residents asked the planners to protect.
Dec. 5 Uses the Same 12 Acres the Plan Covers
The city's listing for Holidays in Powell runs from 4 to 7 p.m. at Village Green Park. It includes an iceless ice rink, a bonfire with free s'mores, photos with Santa, performances, roaming entertainment and the annual tree lighting at 6 p.m. Santa photos require preregistration.
The city sends event parking to the City Hall lot next to the park. Both redevelopment concepts presented this year would turn the parking lot at 47 Hall St. into a multilevel garage.
Village Green has a full year beyond the holidays. In 2026 the Powell Festival filled it on Friday, June 19 and Saturday, June 20. The Lolli-Pops children's concert series also plays in the park. Residents who spoke in August also named community theater performances and the Powell Street Market as uses of the space.
The 12-acre parcel also holds the city council chambers, the Powell Police Department, the amphitheater, the splash pad and the open green space. Both concepts would rearrange all of it. A 2026 report noted that the city would need new locations for City Hall and the police department, depending on the final plan.
Two Layouts, Built From the Same Parts
Pizzuti Solutions leads a team that includes Realm Collaborative, OHM Advisors and Urban Decision Group. This spring the team presented two concepts. Both include retail and residential or mixed-use development, a market hall, a grocery store and more parking. The difference is the shape of the public space.
| Village Square | Market Street | |
|---|---|---|
| Public space | One broad central gathering square with green space and a water feature | Public space stretched into a denser linear corridor |
| What frames it | Development parcels arranged around or behind the square | Retail and entertainment lining the corridor |
| Key connection | A gateway to South Liberty Street | A Hall Street connection and a dedicated pedestrian connector |
| Shared with the other concept | Market hall, grocery store, retail, residential, multilevel garage at 47 Hall St. | Same |
When Delaware Source covered the April debut, the director of Visit Powell said she preferred Village Square because it felt more open and connected to downtown. The open-house feedback leaned the same way. The city's Phase II summary reports that respondents favored Village Square over Market Street and stressed keeping Powell's small-town and historic character.
What 381 Comments Asked to Keep
The spring round drew more than 220 people to four open houses and produced 381 comments. Another 30 written comments came from area residents. The leading themes in the city's executive summary were:
- Preserving or adding usable green space
- Keeping the amphitheater
- Keeping the splash pad
- Providing family amenities
- Fixing traffic and connectivity
- Concerns about apartment height and density and their effects on schools, traffic and taxes
The open lawn, the outdoor stage and the family amenities are what the Dec. 5 evening is built on. They also top the list of what residents asked to keep.
The amphitheater is the most complicated item on that list. At the August meeting, Mayor Heather Karr pointed out that the 30-year-old stage lacks adequate electrical supply, sound systems and other features. The board president of Olentangy Community Theater said she loves the amphitheater. She also asked for an indoor theater in the plans, which she said would be "a year-round performing arts venue" that "would bring more visitors to our restaurants, to our businesses." Residents want to keep the stage, and the stage needs work.
An earlier survey shows the same pattern. The Phase I survey drew 658 responses and asked people to rate priorities on a 1-to-10 scale. More downtown food-and-beverage choices and a preference for locally owned businesses each averaged 8. Downtown parks averaged 7. More downtown housing averaged 4, and the idea that more residents downtown would improve walkability averaged 5. Both concepts include a market hall and retail, which match the first priority. Both also include residential space, which scored lowest.
Why the Timeline Moved
The plan was originally on a tighter schedule. On Aug. 4, council voted to extend Phase II so Pizzuti could respond to the 381 comments. City Manager Andy White said the extension adds no cost for the city. The Powell-Olentangy Journal summarized the same feedback as favoring green space, the amphitheater and the splash pad, traffic fixes and small-town character.
At that meeting, several residents said they had not been told enough about the concepts or how to comment. A month later, council approved a $70,000 public relations contract with Geben. Its work includes an engagement plan, support for public meetings and open houses, and website and social media content. Planning Director Logan Stang explained why in Delaware Source's report on the contract. People at the third and fourth open houses "felt like they were unaware of what the Village Green Master Plan was, and that they were unaware of what was going to be presented," he said.
Even the next decision does not approve construction. "Even at the end of phase three, there is no development itself that would be approved," Stang told council in August, as Delaware Source reported. The city's master plan page says the same thing: the concepts are preliminary, no development has been approved, and any physical change would need more evaluation, funding decisions and approvals.
The Dates Between Now and January
The planning dates and the holiday dates now overlap:
- Thursday, Nov. 12, 6 to 8 p.m.: The city's meeting to review updated concepts at Powell City Hall, 47 Hall St. The presentation starts at 6 p.m., followed by Q&A, and the city says people who missed earlier open houses are welcome.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 4 to 7 p.m.: Holidays in Powell on Village Green, with the tree lighting at 6 p.m.
- December: Pizzuti expects to bring a revised concept to council, and the city says Phase II runs through December 2026.
- January 2027: Phase III, the financial analysis and master plan development, is expected to begin.
Residents can also comment at City Council meetings, which are usually held at 7:30 p.m. on the first and third Tuesday of each month. For questions about the plan, the city lists Logan Stang, Planning Director, at 614.885.5380 ext. 1030.
One decision about next year is already made. City Manager Andrew White told council in August that staff have started planning Powell Fest 2027, and that it will take place at Village Green as it always has.
Our team lives and works in these communities, and we follow downtown Powell's planning as closely as its holiday calendar. If you have questions about how the Village Green process could shape the blocks around your home, Angelina Fox-Smith & Company is glad to talk it through. Schedule a Free Consultation and we'll go over what's known so far and what to watch for after the December council meeting.
