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Record of Proceedings

Powell Development Committee Meeting – April 7, 2026: Bennett Farm Path & Downtown Parking Updates

City Council & Boards — Tuesday, April 7, 2026
BodyPowell, Ohio
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateTuesday, April 7, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 52:10

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:05

Like to call to order the uh Powell Development Committee meeting for April 7th.

0:10

Elaine, please call the roll.

0:13

Carlos Crawford is absent.

0:16

Herman is absent for our survey.

0:19

Present.

0:20

Kurt Ramsey.

0:21

Here.

0:21

And Sean Simpson is absent.

0:24

Thank you.

0:25

All right, the first order of business is to uh approval of the minutes from last time.

0:30

Has everyone had a chance to review the minutes from the packet?

0:34

I'd like to have a motion to approve the minutes.

0:37

So moved.

0:38

And I will second.

0:39

I'll ever say aye.

0:40

Aye.

0:41

Aye.

0:44

And then the move same time.

0:46

No birthview for that.

0:49

Alright, next on today's business is the Bennett Farms Path update.

0:55

So I will start that.

0:57

But we'll turn it over to Aaron here.

1:00

If you remember at our last meeting, we had a discussion about and there was a lot of discussion about kind of this initial project that Aaron has been working on.

1:13

So we thought it would be a good idea for continuity's sake to bring that back to you at this meeting and let you see kind of the work has been up to and uh give you kind of a time frame as to when all will be put in collection.

1:26

So with that being said, I'll turn it over again.

1:29

Thank you, Jeff.

1:30

Um and I did provide a hard copy of these slides just for you to use for notes.

1:34

And um, as I go through these slides, if there's any questions, please stop me.

1:37

Um, real quick, we just want to give you an update on kind of the first phase of what's going to become kind of a larger Bennett Farms experience.

1:46

Um late last year, we got the design contract approved for the engineering or the Bennett Parks shared use path.

1:55

Um, just a little bit of background.

1:57

Um, if you remember in May of 2025, although it feels like years ago, it hasn't even been a year since that master plan was adopted by council.

2:06

Quickly thereafter, um, council also approved um project funding for the design of the construction of this project.

2:13

Um this project was born out of that shared use path master plan.

2:18

If you remember when we went through that, um we studied not only the limits of our Shared Use Path Network in the city of Powell, but a half mile buffer outside of that.

2:26

And that exhibit that we have, let me get to that real quick.

2:30

There we go.

2:30

Um shows the limits of of what we studied in that area to look for gaps, improvements, um, identified projects and safety improvements that we could make.

2:41

Um, and and we even said back at that time what's exciting about it is that that study and that master plan would become the framework to um basically plan and program projects become reality, and here we are today already, which is was pretty amazing.

2:56

Um that path, uh Shared Use Path Master Plan, one of the things it looked at was not only the past system and identified gaps, but it also looked at um things that attracted um ice cream pedestrian uses, so like parks, points of interest, schools, um, also looked at business and residential and retail density, um, and then also look from a safety standpoint, looked at um crashes that involved bicyclists throughout our network.

3:25

And that's what you also see on this map.

3:28

And one of the things I wanted to highlight is if you look at the the cluster that we have with the arrow, um, that's right in this area that where we're we're bringing forward this project.

3:42

Um, one of the other things I wanted to point out is part of that Shario's path master plan.

3:46

There's a robust public input process, um, not only just within POW, but there were um basically uh the region uh online and then through public meetings we gathered public input on um kind of gaps, missing gaps in our system and then barriers to some of the writing network.

4:06

And again, if you look on this map there on the right, you can see a cluster of red dots where we receive survey feedback on you know desired routes for additional uh shared use pass.

4:16

Um, other than the area of the the crossing here on South Liberty, I would say this is probably the number two within the whole region when we came through that study.

4:25

You can see there highlighted there along Powell Road.

4:31

So out of that um study, one of the things that we got at the end of that um process was a list of project recommendations.

4:39

Um I believe there was over four along with each of those.

4:43

You can see there on the right side.

4:45

Um it listed not only it gave us an ID number to identify it, gave us um some limits, talked about um some funding sources, and then also gave us estimated costs of the project, but then in a most important way, we we had them go through and give a priority rank to this project so that it could help guide our program as we look out, you know, five years, ten years down the road.

5:07

And I want to point out if you look right there on the middle, um, it's 135 as I know it.

5:12

Uh that project was listed right there as a high priority project.

5:15

So we're again we're here today already, um, starting to address some of the things that came out of that study.

5:21

Um, you know, what one of the things I'd point out with this project not only does it provide that route that connection in that immediate area solving some connectivity issues, we've seen some safety issues, but it also provides a much larger connection to the community.

5:36

Um, if you look at that that path and kind of expand a little bit out and you look at that overall regional map, what you can see that it does pretty quickly is connects our bridge in that area further to the um to the east to downtown.

5:49

So once we get it connected to that the street there at Bartholomew, you'll be able to ride your bike basically from downtown and everything else that you know we're adding in that area.

5:57

So we were providing that connectivity so that you can experience the community through those other means of transportation.

6:06

So where we are today, um, as we mentioned, we have civil and environmental consultants, also known as CEC, as our design consultant.

6:15

Um survey's been completed, they've actually provided us uh a preliminary alignment, which we'll go through in a little bit of detail here in a second.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Parking Management███████████████████████████████████████████43%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████████████████████24%
Active Transportation███████████████████19%
Procedural███████7%
Public Engagement███████7%
Summary of Proceedings

Powell Development Committee Meeting – April 7, 2026

The Development Committee met on Tuesday, April 7, 2026 at 6:30 PM in Council Chambers. Members present: Kurt Ramsey, Sean Simpson (absent), Carlos Crawford (absent), Herman (absent for roll call but present later). Staff updates were provided on the Bennett Farm Shared-Use Path and the Downtown Parking Strategy. No votes were taken on the substantive items; the committee discussed progress, data, and possible policy direction.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes (March 3, 2026): A motion to approve the minutes was made and seconded; passed unanimously by voice vote.

Discussion Items

Bennett Farm Path Update

  • Aaron (staff) presented an update on the first phase of the Bennett Farm shared-use path, which originated from the Shared-Use Path Master Plan adopted in May 2025. The master plan included public input, crash data analysis, and a priority ranking. Project 135 (along Powell Road) was identified as a high priority.
  • The path will be approximately 2,200 feet long, 10–11 feet wide, and will connect from Bartholomew Boulevard to Arbor Ridge, linking to the downtown network. A property owner, Carol Stillman, has been cooperative and supportive; an easement is needed on her property.
  • Two alternative alignments are being considered for a section near a drainage way: one staying closer to the road (with a possible prefabricated pedestrian bridge) and one further into the property. The decision will be based on slope, grading, and tree preservation.
  • The path will be paved; future park paths may use different materials (e.g., crushed stone). A large invasive honeysuckle removal will open views. A utility pole removal is planned.
  • Timeline: Final design expected by end of April to mid-May 2026; then sealed bidding and construction. Committee member Andy suggested a site visit for members to better understand the terrain; staff will coordinate.
  • Discussion included safety at the Bartholomew/Liberty intersection, site distance, and potential future signalization. No immediate utility conflicts except one service pole. The path will tie into a crosswalk at Bartholomew; stop-controlled intersection will have signage and pavement markings, with monitoring for safety.

Downtown Parking Strategy Update

  • Data Analysis (Sean, staff): Existing downtown parking (east of railroad tracks) totals 1,788 spaces (1,547 private, 241 public). Code requires 1,968 spaces, a deficit of 180. Planned additions (Liberty Street extension, West Olin Tangent, Adventure Park) will add about 310 spaces, reducing deficit to 32 spaces. 86% of spaces are private.
  • Placer AI Analysis: For the busiest week of 2025 (Aug 4–10), the busiest day was Friday, Aug 8, 2025 (5,100 visits, ~3,400 cars). The busiest hour (7–8 PM) saw 2,400 visits (~1,600 cars). Even on that day, there were 188 unused parking spaces on the east side. Usage of specific public lots: City Hall lot had 161 cars (113 spaces, high turnover); 44 North Liberty lot had 64 cars (19 spaces, heavy employee use); 10 South Liberty lot (first public-private agreement) had only 10 cars (marketing/signage issue); 50 West Olin Tangy (church lot) had 6 cars (unlit, gravel). North Depot area had 92 cars (unmarked spaces). Adventure Park lot could not be analyzed due to security/children issues.
  • Short-term solutions (Jeff, staff): Goal to have 100 meetings of execution by June 1, 2026. Actions include: replacing all public parking signs with more contextual, lit signage; adding all lots to Google Maps; installing temporary message boards with walking-radius maps and QR codes linking to a downtown events page (in coordination with Visit PAL and Powell Development Corporation). Staff continue to use Placer AI for ongoing monitoring.
  • Policy Discussion: Andy and others discussed the potential to formalize shared-use parking agreements with private property owners, possibly through codification/legislation. This could avoid building a costly parking structure (estimated $15–16 million for 300 spaces). Staff are currently negotiating with property owners (green = signed, yellow = negotiating, red = declined). The 35 North Liberty lot (red) was a temporary construction-related agreement.
  • Committee members expressed support for the short-term, low-cost approach and commended staff for actionable progress.

Key Outcomes

  • No formal votes on the Bennett Farm Path or Parking Strategy; both items were informational updates for discussion and feedback.
  • Committee directed staff to continue design refinement on the Bennett Farm Path and to schedule a site visit before the next meeting.
  • For parking, the committee encouraged staff to continue negotiating shared-use agreements and to pursue a formal policy initiative for codification. Short-term signage and wayfinding improvements are to be implemented by June 1, 2026.
  • Staff noted the ongoing demolition at 44 North Liberty (parking lot closed for ~2 weeks; reopening expected soon).

Meeting Transcript

Like to call to order the uh Powell Development Committee meeting for April 7th. Elaine, please call the roll. Carlos Crawford is absent. Herman is absent for our survey. Present. Kurt Ramsey. Here. And Sean Simpson is absent. Thank you. All right, the first order of business is to uh approval of the minutes from last time. Has everyone had a chance to review the minutes from the packet? I'd like to have a motion to approve the minutes. So moved. And I will second. I'll ever say aye. Aye. Aye. And then the move same time. No birthview for that. Alright, next on today's business is the Bennett Farms Path update. So I will start that. But we'll turn it over to Aaron here. If you remember at our last meeting, we had a discussion about and there was a lot of discussion about kind of this initial project that Aaron has been working on. So we thought it would be a good idea for continuity's sake to bring that back to you at this meeting and let you see kind of the work has been up to and uh give you kind of a time frame as to when all will be put in collection. So with that being said, I'll turn it over again. Thank you, Jeff. Um and I did provide a hard copy of these slides just for you to use for notes. And um, as I go through these slides, if there's any questions, please stop me. Um, real quick, we just want to give you an update on kind of the first phase of what's going to become kind of a larger Bennett Farms experience. Um late last year, we got the design contract approved for the engineering or the Bennett Parks shared use path. Um, just a little bit of background. Um, if you remember in May of 2025, although it feels like years ago, it hasn't even been a year since that master plan was adopted by council. Quickly thereafter, um, council also approved um project funding for the design of the construction of this project. Um this project was born out of that shared use path master plan. If you remember when we went through that, um we studied not only the limits of our Shared Use Path Network in the city of Powell, but a half mile buffer outside of that. And that exhibit that we have, let me get to that real quick. There we go. Um shows the limits of of what we studied in that area to look for gaps, improvements, um, identified projects and safety improvements that we could make. Um, and and we even said back at that time what's exciting about it is that that study and that master plan would become the framework to um basically plan and program projects become reality, and here we are today already, which is was pretty amazing. Um that path, uh Shared Use Path Master Plan, one of the things it looked at was not only the past system and identified gaps, but it also looked at um things that attracted um ice cream pedestrian uses, so like parks, points of interest, schools, um, also looked at business and residential and retail density, um, and then also look from a safety standpoint, looked at um crashes that involved bicyclists throughout our network. And that's what you also see on this map. And one of the things I wanted to highlight is if you look at the the cluster that we have with the arrow, um, that's right in this area that where we're we're bringing forward this project. Um, one of the other things I wanted to point out is part of that Shario's path master plan. There's a robust public input process, um, not only just within POW, but there were um basically uh the region uh online and then through public meetings we gathered public input on um kind of gaps, missing gaps in our system and then barriers to some of the writing network. And again, if you look on this map there on the right, you can see a cluster of red dots where we receive survey feedback on you know desired routes for additional uh shared use pass. Um, other than the area of the the crossing here on South Liberty, I would say this is probably the number two within the whole region when we came through that study. You can see there highlighted there along Powell Road. So out of that um study, one of the things that we got at the end of that um process was a list of project recommendations. Um I believe there was over four along with each of those. You can see there on the right side.

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