Maybe you’ve seen the signs or heard the updates: our city is working on a new Comprehensive Land Use Plan. If you’re like most people, your first thought might be: "what is that, and why should I care?"

Here’s why it matters: because it will shape the future of our neighborhoods, our local economy, and even who gets to live here.

Planning for the Future of Your Street, Your Family, and Your Community

This isn’t just about zoning codes or planning meetings. This is about your child who wants to raise their own family here but can’t afford a house. It’s about your neighbor down the block who’s thinking of retiring but doesn’t want to leave the community they’ve loved for 40 years. It’s about whether the paramedic who responds to your 911 call can actually afford to live nearby.

It’s also about whether your favorite local restaurant or coffee shop can stay open. Several have shared how difficult it is to maintain business without more nearby customer because we simply don’t have the population density to support them long-term. Growth in the right places helps keep the businesses we love alive.

It’s about making sure our streets stay vibrant, that new businesses want to open here, and that we can fund the service like police, fire, and infrastructure that make this city safe and livable.

A City of 14,000+, With Big Decisions Ahead

Our city is small, and that’s part of what people love about it. But we’re not isolated. We border a large and fast-growing metro area. If we don’t plan for smart, strategic growth, we risk stagnation while other communities around us become more competitive, more inclusive, and more economically resilient.

We don’t have room to sprawl. We don’t have endless undeveloped land. That means every decision we make about development—what gets built, where, and why—has big implications. This plan helps us make those decisions with clarity, intention, and community input.

Honoring Our Values, Including Diversity and Belonging

Older Americans Month just ended, and we’re entering June, which includes both Pride Month and Juneteenth, a time when communities across the country reflect on equity, inclusion, and the ongoing work of ensuring everyone feels a sense of belonging. That reflection is especially meaningful here in Worthington, where one of our shared community visioning priorities is to be a diverse and equitable community.

The Comprehensive Plan is part of how we live out that value. It gives us tools to create a city where people of different backgrounds, incomes, ages, and family structures can live and thrive whether they’ve been here for generations or are just hoping to find their place here.

This planning process is about shaping a city that doesn’t unintentionally shut people out. It’s about ensuring the people who work here —teachers, firefighters, police officers, care workers—can afford to live here. It’s about giving older adults more options to stay in their community and helping young adults who grew up here see a future here too.

We Can Honor the Past While Planning for Tomorrow

This process isn’t about changing everything. It’s about making sure we’re ready for the changes that are already happening and doing so in a way that protects the qualities we love most.

It’s about balance: respecting the past, responding to today’s needs, and preparing for the next generation.

So yes, a comprehensive plan may sound technical. But at its heart, it’s about something simple: making sure this city works for all of us.  Not just today, but for years to come.

Join us for  The Launch

Wednesday June 11  6:30 to 8:00 pm

Worthington Education Center

200 East Wilson Bridge Road

More info at: www.worthingtontogether.org

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