By 1808Delaware
A significant piece of Worthington’s historic Harding Hospital campus is moving closer to a residential future. Worthington City Council has approved the rezoning of approximately 20.4 acres at the Boundless campus, clearing a major procedural hurdle for Elford Development’s proposed 246-unit apartment community.
The property, located on the southeastern portion of the campus at 445 East Dublin-Granville Road, will move from the city’s S-1 Special District classification to a Planned Unit Development. The change permits multifamily housing on land previously reserved primarily for institutional uses. The vote does not represent final approval of every construction detail, but it establishes the land-use framework necessary for the project to continue through Worthington’s development process.
A Mix of Apartment Sizes and Incomes
Elford’s proposal includes approximately 246 one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments.
Plans presented earlier to the city’s Architectural Review Board and Municipal Planning Commission described the development as a mixed-income community. A portion of the apartments would be positioned for households earning around $60,000 annually, placing the project within the workforce housing market rather than making it exclusively a luxury or subsidized development. The proposal comes as Worthington and other central Ohio communities continue looking for ways to expand housing choices within established municipal boundaries.
With little undeveloped land remaining in the city, new housing increasingly depends on redevelopment and the reuse of properties originally designed for other purposes.
Changes Made After Neighborhood Meetings
The project evolved during an extensive public review process that included seven neighborhood meetings involving Elford, Boundless and nearby residents. Among the changes made in response to community concerns were the addition of two single-family lots and reductions in building height near existing homes. Access from Indianola Avenue would be limited to emergency vehicles, addressing concerns about neighborhood traffic.
Earlier planning discussions focused heavily on density, stormwater management, traffic and the project’s relationship to surrounding residential areas.
Some nearby residents opposed the proposed intensity of development and the conversion of institutional land to apartments. Others supported the addition of housing options in a city where available land and affordable choices are increasingly limited.
From Harding Hospital to Boundless
The larger Boundless property encompasses approximately 45 acres immediately south of East Dublin-Granville Road and west of the railroad tracks. For decades, the site was home to Harding Hospital, a nationally recognized psychiatric institution founded during the early 20th century. The hospital later became affiliated with The Ohio State University before the property eventually became the Boundless campus.
Boundless has continued renovating buildings on the northern part of the property for health, behavioral and support services. At the same time, the organization has pursued a long-term campus plan involving partnerships, property sales and new uses for portions of the site. Other organizations exploring opportunities on the broader property have included Worthington City Schools and National Church Residences.
The Elford development would formalize the most substantial residential component yet proposed for the campus.
Housing Within the Existing City
The rezoning also reflects a broader shift in how Worthington is approaching growth. Rather than expanding through large greenfield developments, the city is looking toward established corridors and underused properties where new housing can be added alongside existing neighborhoods, businesses and public services. Similar redevelopment efforts are underway around Wilson Bridge Road and other areas where aging commercial or institutional properties may be repositioned for new uses.
For the Boundless campus, the Council vote marks another step away from its history as a single-purpose institutional property. The emerging vision combines continued health and behavioral services with housing and other community uses.
More than a century after the Harding campus first developed, the property is preparing for another transformation, this time as a place where hundreds of Worthington residents could call home.
Image by Mega Plus Beograd from Pixabay
