Eastland for Everyone Community Plan Columbus, Ohio
Role
Community Planning / Engagement
People Involved
Andrew Overbeck, Kerry Reeds, Sarah Lilly, Kristen Asiedu, Aurora Albertone, Bridget Maloney, Whitney Baxter
Typology
Neighborhood, Community Plan
Project Timeline
2023 - 2024
Collaborators
Cohear, Neighborhood Design Center, Development Strategies
Plan Document
Reimagining a future for Eastland with new opportunities, connection, and community life
Like many urban neighborhoods, Eastland has experienced disinvestment, with its effects felt throughout the community and most visibly in the closures of the neighborhood grocery store and Eastland Mall.
Beyond these prominent sites, the area is characterized by aging industrial and logistics uses, as well as highways, busy roadways, and rail lines that support regional access but also create physical and psychological barriers. Despite these challenges, Eastland has important assets and opportunities that can serve as a foundation for future growth and revitalization.
“Eastland for Everyone reflects the power of planning to turn community ambition into a clear path forward. By pairing meaningful engagement with a practical framework for investment, the plan identifies opportunities to strengthen neighborhoods, improve connections, support local businesses, and create welcoming public spaces. Most importantly, it establishes a shared vision that can guide coordinated action and ensure Eastland’s next chapter is shaped with, and for, the people who call it home.”
- Andrew Overbeck, AICP, Principal, Planner, Practice Leader, MKSK
Over 16 months, the Eastland for Everyone Community Plan engaged more than 1,800 neighbors in shaping a vision for the area’s future. An inclusive, community-centered engagement strategy guided the process, ensuring the plan reflected the experiences, priorities, and aspirations of Eastland residents.
An advisory committee of community stakeholders and local leaders provided ongoing guidance, insight, and feedback. A range of outreach methods—including focus groups, stakeholder conversations, pop-up events, office hours, mailers, and digital tools—created multiple opportunities for residents to participate and share their perspectives.
Three public meetings were complemented by five topic-based workshops, bringing community members together with City departments and partner organizations to develop solutions and recommendations collaboratively. Eastland for Everyone translates community input and in-depth analysis into a practical framework for guiding the area’s revitalization.
Organized around eight community-selected topics, the plan establishes a Big Idea for each topic that articulates a desired outcome. Supporting objectives and action items outline the steps needed to achieve these goals, while illustrating what success could look like when recommendations are implemented.
The plan also identifies five Early Win projects to deliver near-term improvements, alongside 15 Catalytic Opportunities with the potential to drive broader change and shape Eastland’s long-term future.
