Village of Granville and Granville Township Comprehensive Plans

Adoption dates: Accepted by County Planning: Expected Q4 2026
Location: Licking County, OH

Goal: This project was a joint effort between the Village of Granville and the surrounding Granville Township. Both communities desired to update their joint comprehensive plan and coordinate activities between the two entities. These communities lie along the S.R. 161 corridor between Newark and Columbus, a fast-growing area where there is high demand for housing. The communities have proactively protected a number of natural areas and farmland, forming an Open Space Program that has helped to preserve the small-town New England charm and rural character of the community.

Illustrated aerial perspective of a proposed mixed-use site with a mill building, apartments, gardens, ponds and an amphitheater lawn — Granville overhead perspective

Protecting Its Heritage

Granville is one of Ohio’s earliest planned communities, offering a rare combination of small-town character and regional accessibility. Home to Denison University, a highly respected private institution, Granville attracts an educated workforce and resident base. The surrounding township sustains a thriving community of generational farmers. Yet, Granville’s location within the rapidly growing Columbus region places increasing pressure on the community. Updating the Comprehensive plan provides an opportunity to reaffirm Granville’s identity, priorities, and shared vision for managed growth while preserving the qualities that make the community unique.

People dining under red umbrellas on a downtown Granville sidewalk

Historic storefronts with colorful awnings on Broadway in downtown Granville

Two residents point to locations on a large Granville Critical Resource Areas map — Residents mark up the Granville Critical Resource Areas map

A group gathers around a table of maps and topic boards, placing colored dot stickers — Community workshop

Outcomes

The comprehensive plan crafted by Crossroads and the communities focused on 4 main goals:

Preserving Small Town Character
Remaining the Model of a Well-Planned Community
Promoting Environmentally and Fiscally Sustainable Growth
Providing a Mix of Housing Options

These goals reflect the unique attributes of the communities and provide a vision towards the future that will include growth and development in this fast-growing area. These were qualities which the communities could agree on wholeheartedly and could work together to achieve them. The plan included a chart of Goals and Recommendations which indicates their applicability to each community, includes other potential parties needed and assigns a priority level to them.

Cross-section showing the transition from lawn to meadow, woodland edge and mature woodland, labeled as a woodland buffer — Woodland buffer cross-section

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