Community Feedback
Provides Insight Into Housing Market Westerville Housing Study outcomes conversation starting. Since the fall of 2021, the City of Westerville has been working with consultants, Mosaic Community Planning, to conduct the Westerville Housing Study. The assessment included coordination with existing City plans, research and community engagement. For a growing community, the availability of diverse housing options is an essential driver of sustainability and economic competitiveness. One of the chief research questions to be answered by the study’s report concerns the need and support for more “attainable” housing types in the City. A housing stock that supports people and households with varying needs, including young families, the elderly, people with disabilities, and people working lower-wage jobs is an important asset for business recruitment, economic development and community health. The community engagement piece of this study included a mixture of remote and in-person techniques: a resident survey available through the City’s website, stakeholder
interviews and conversations with various community groups. Everyone was asked to share their ideas about the City’s housing stock, current and future housing needs, and their vision for housing as Westerville grows. The community’s thoughts about housing in Westerville now and over the next 20 years will be a cornerstone for the City’s Housing Study. Much of the assessment also involved research and data analysis. The Housing Study assessed the local housing market, identified gaps in the types and numbers of housing units available, described factors contributing to these gaps and identified potential strategies to address them. The Westerville Housing Study will conclude with a report that is expected to be finalized by the end of February 2022. Keep up with the plan’s progress at www.westerville.org/housingstudy.
WESTERVILLE EVALUATES COMMUNITY APPETITE FOR
Broadband as a Utility, Expansion
Imagine a future where Westerville, with its history of delivering stellar services and programs, offered residential broadband service as a community amenity. The City asked residents to consider this in fall 2021. More than 470 residents responded to the survey, which aimed to give the City an understanding of opportunities for expansion and factors related to access, cost and speed. Businesses were also given the opportunity to contribute. “While conversations are still conceptual at this time, any initiative to come from the studies would build upon the success of WeConnect, the City’s fiber network and data center service hub,” said Brian Gorenflo, WēConnect Manager. The nation’s first municipal data center, WeConnect offers worldclass support for commercial data management needs. The team provides a 100-Gigabit private fiber connection, giving clients a direct connection to our data center and the internet. The result is ultra-low latency that translates to speed, available at an affordable rate for businesses of all sizes. Survey results and updates about the broadband expansion discussion will be posted to the City’s Economic Development website, business.westerville.org.
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FIBER NETWORK
19+ Internet Service Providers 92 Lit Commercial Buildings...and counting 70 Miles of Fiber 200 Route Miles of Conduit Mean time to repair less than one hour
99.99 Uptime TIER 3 DATA CENTER
Colocation Vacancy 3-Phase Power SOC2 Type1 & PCI/DSS compliant City-owned and supported by City services
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