Powell Village Green Master Plan: What's Next for the 12 Acres

On Thursday, Nov. 12, the City of Powell will show residents the revised concepts for Village Green. The meeting runs 6 to 8 p.m. at Powell City Hall, 47 Hall St. The city calls the planning area the "Village Green / City Hall site," so the meeting will be held on the land under discussion. Three and a half weeks later, Powell will light its holiday tree on that ground too.

The master plan reads like a downtown development topic, but its parcel holds most of Powell's shared calendar. The 12 acres include the city council chambers, the Powell Police Department, the amphitheater, the splash pad and the open green space, as Delaware Source reported in August. Powell Festival, the Lolli-Pops! summer concerts, Holidays in Powell and the Veterans Day ceremony all happen there. If you use the park, the plan covers the places you use.

What already happens on the 12 acres

The city's own inventory of the site lists a performance stage, a canopy structure, a children's play space, the Greater Powell Veterans Memorial, a pond and flexible greenspace. Here is how this year's calendar used that space.

One downtown tradition isn't on the list. Powell Street Market is held downtown at 50 S. Liberty St., not in the park. In 2026 it ran on Sunday, May 3, and Sunday, Sept. 13. Even so, residents who spoke at Council in August named it alongside Powell Fest and community theater as events they connect with Village Green. For many people, the green is the center of downtown, wherever the official map draws the boundary.

What the April concepts put on the table

The planning effort is older than most people realize. City Council asked a citizen-representative panel to explore redevelopment options in 2023, and that panel chose Pizzuti as the project consultant in 2024. Pizzuti Solutions leads a team that also includes Realm Collaborative, OHM Advisors and Urban Decision Group.

This spring, the team showed residents two frameworks. Delaware Source's April coverage described them this way.

• Village Square had a central public square, a large green space, a water feature and a "grand gateway" to South Liberty Street, with building parcels around and behind the square.
• Market Street had a linear corridor lined with retail and entertainment, built around Hall Street and a dedicated pedestrian connector.
• Both included mixed-use retail and residential buildings, a market hall, a grocery store and more parking. Both turned the existing 47 Hall St. parking lot into a multi-level garage.

The same article noted that City Hall and the police department would need new locations if redevelopment went ahead.

The city has also corrected a number that has circulated widely. "There are not 200 apartments planned," its project page says. A market study found the site could support up to 200 units, and every concept under discussion is part of a long-term vision of 10 to 20 years. The Oct. 21 notice adds that "no development or construction decisions have been made."

The spring feedback that slowed the plan

Four open houses took place on April 20, April 29, May 7 and May 27. A fourth was added after many attendees at the third said they hadn't heard about the plans. Together the sessions drew more than 220 people and 381 comments, and another 30 residents wrote to city officials.

The consultant's executive summary of the open houses groups the comments into themes. Residents strongly supported keeping the existing green space and adding more usable green space. Many wanted the amphitheater to stay, and attendees "overwhelmingly supported keeping the splash pad." They asked for family-friendly amenities and named picnics, food truck events and a seasonal ice rink. Some felt the concepts favored young professionals over families. Traffic came up often, as did better connections between Village Green and other parts of the city. The summary also carries a point from the earlier Phase I engagement. Students said Powell lacks amenities for teenagers and young adults, and the consultant wrote that the plan should include something for all ages.

Between the two frameworks, feedback "strongly favored" Village Square because it connects to the existing downtown. Two comments quoted in the summary describe the park residents have in mind:

"local dinner, blanket on the grass, music, kids playing, ice cream, perfect Friday night."

"I see it as a hot spot for family picnics and also the hot spot for prom and family photos"

That feedback changed the schedule. On Aug. 4, a night when council chambers were full of residents, City Council voted to extend Phase II so Pizzuti Solutions could respond to the 381 comments. City Manager Andy White said the extension cost the city nothing extra, according to Delaware Source. In the same report, Olentangy Community Theater board president Melissa Scott said she loves the amphitheater and asked that an indoor theater be included in the plans. "A year-round performing arts venue would create more opportunities for local families," she said.

Where the stage and water feature stand now

The Aug. 4 council presentation listed next steps for refinement, including "Enhanced green space" and "Incorporation of performance space and water feature." Those were items to work on, not an adopted design.

The city has since divided the performance question between two plans. Its project page says the separate Parks Master Plan is studying where an amphitheater, water features and performance areas could go across the whole park system, including the new Bennett Farm Park and Adventure Park. At the same time, "other flexible gathering spaces and smaller stages are still being considered for Village Green."

The Nov. 12 workshop matters for that reason. The amphitheater was one of the features residents asked most clearly to keep, and the city's current wording puts a large stage partly in a different plan. The workshop will be the first public look at the revised concepts. The Oct. 21 notice says the revisions focus on "green space, family-friendly amenities, gathering places and the small-town character that helps define Powell."

Five dates on the green between now and mid-December

1. Tuesday, Nov. 10, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. The Veterans Day Ceremony at the Greater Powell Veterans Memorial.
2. Thursday, Nov. 12, 6–8 p.m. The Village Green Master Plan workshop at City Hall, 47 Hall St. You don't need to have attended a spring session. The city says the meeting will be recorded for anyone who can't attend.
3. Tuesday, Dec. 1, and Tuesday, Dec. 15. Regular City Council meetings. In August, Pizzuti representative Sophia Lanza told council she expected to bring a revised concept back in December, Delaware Source reported. The city calendar doesn't yet tie that presentation to either date. Council meets at 7:30 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of each month and takes public comment.
4. Saturday, Dec. 5, 4–7 p.m. Holidays in Powell. The evening includes an iceless ice rink, a bonfire with free s'mores, photos with Santa, performances and roaming entertainment, with the tree lighting at 6 p.m.

Several items on that holiday list match what residents asked for this spring. They wanted a seasonal ice rink and space for family activities. The Dec. 5 event will put those uses on the green for one evening, about three weeks after the revised concepts go public.

Looking past this year, the city's Powell Festival page lists Village Green Park as the 2027 venue and says dates are still to come. City officials also said Powell Fest 2027 would stay at Village Green, according to Delaware Source. All the concepts are part of a 10-to-20-year vision, so next summer's festival, concerts and splash pad season will run on the green as it is today. Over the long term, the shape of downtown Powell's main gathering space is still open, and the revised concepts go public on Nov. 12.

Downtown Powell has been part of our work for years, and we follow the Village Green planning because it shapes the center of town. If you'd like to talk through what downtown's plans could mean for your street or your next move, the Dedra Lucas Group is glad to share what we're seeing. Let's Connect.