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Running Out Of Land, Some Suburbs Learning To Build Up

Posted by: Christian Peralta Madera

5 July 2007 - 10:00am

With little land left to develop and a declining population in recent years, suburban cities in Ohio are beginning to accept that the only way they can continue to grow is by building up.

"Cities such as Bexley, Grandview Heights and Upper Arlington are 'built out,' officials said. They have nowhere to go but up. Less than 5 percent of the land in Bexley and Upper Arlington is commercial property, meaning that adding offices and shops means replacing buildings with taller ones."

"According to U.S. Census estimates released last week, Bexley, Grandview and Upper Arlington each lost about 7 percent of their populations from 2000 to 2006. Meanwhile, population growth in other Columbus suburbs in Franklin County was about 6.1 percent during that period."

"That's why officials are looking up."

"Growing vertically is important, said Patty Dalton, Upper Arlington's deputy city manager for economic development. 'It's one of the few opportunities the city has to increase its commercial tax base.'"

Full Story: Feeling the crush, suburbs build up
Source: The Columbus Dispatch, July 1, 2007
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The areas where we have severe blight and indications of more blight to come are basically the same as they ever were. How in the world are we ever going to move our community development selves into an alternative future that thinks differently about the challenges we face in our cities and low-income suburban and rural communities?
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