Plain City has long been known for its compact size and small-town charm. Yet, as the entire world enters a new era of expansion and progress, so must the village of Plain City. Over the course of the last year, Plain City has been working to develop an Uptown Master Plan, which was created to “grow the local economy and [create a] unique sense of place.”

 A large part of this plan, as well as an earlier  Comprehensive Plan created in 2018, is increasing housing options within Plain City. The goal is to grow not only the population, but also the demographic of the village.

“Right now, our main focus [in developments] is accomodating younger families and empty nesters moving from surrounding suburbs like Hilliard and Marysville,” says Development Manager Jason Stanford. “We have a good school system and lots of job opportunities, as well as that small-town charm that is really appealing to a lot of people.”

There are currently eight housing locations that are either planned, under construction, or have been finished in the past few years, adding up to 14,000 new units. Not all of the new units will be individual houses, however. Multi-family homes and apartment complexes are also in the plans. 

“Some new units will be targeted towards retirees with things like… walking trails [and] more community centers,” says Stanford. “We also are planning on [creating housing options] for young professionals. The important thing is having housing that the community can support.”

New residential sites are not the only thing in store for Plain City. With the influx of population, we will also see economic and industrial development follow shortly. Plain City has previously been unable to support chain restaurants and businesses, but the hope is that with these new neighborhoods, this will change.

To support this exponential growth in Plain City, changes will have to be made to multiple aspects of the village, including the education system. Within one of the new developments, Darby Station, part of the land has been allocated for Jonathan Alder Local School District. This land has the potential to be the site for a new elementary school in the future.

“If there’s opportunities for developers to make space for public use, we are going to pursue that,” says Stanford. “As we grow, the schools have the option to acquire properties for future school use.”

With all of this new development, people have begun to raise questions about what this means for Plain City’s identity. For so long, the identity of Plain City has been built on its rural, close-knit community, and concerns have been voiced about too much development happening too quickly.

“I’d like for Plain City to stay the same,” says junior Edden Eisan, a resident of one of the new neighborhoods. “But I feel like I have kind of been aiding in the process by moving here.”

While a lot of these plans are just in the beginning phases, it is safe to say a lot of change is coming to Plain City. With the expansion of the Intel Corporation and the creation of the Honda Battery Plant, many jobs are quickly becoming available to Ohio residents. This combined with the low cost of land and high quality of life makes Plain City a high-demand location. However, Plain City plans to include members of the community every step of the way to ensure the continuity of Plain City and its small-town charm.

“We do hear people’s comments and concerns and we are working to ensure that we keep Plain City what it is,” Stanford says. “ [We just want to make] sure the people who want to live [here] have the opportunity to do so.”