Is YOUR Worthington home a good value?
Friday, the New York Times had an article about home values comparing "Worthington" home values based on information from Zillow.
"In Columbus, Ohio, the highest housing values recorded by Zillow in 1996 were in the suburb of Worthington, where prices were 135 percent higher than in the struggling neighborhood of Short North, adjacent to the city’s center. Today, Short North housing values are 30 percent higher than those of Worthington, and downtown Columbus has the highest housing values in that metropolitan area. "
I saw the link to the New York times article shared by a Grandview area neighborhood and Neighborhood Launch in Downtown Columbus a couple of times before I clicked on the link. The New York Times Opinion 'Now Coveted: A Walkable, Convenient Place' is written by Christopher B. Leinberger.
Worthington, Ohio is car dependent?
The premise of that paragraph is that Worthington is car dependent?
I bet the housing value figure Zillow is using for Worthington is a 1996 average value of the Worthington school district, or the 43085 Zip code rather than the city of Worthington or a particular Worthington neighborhood... for example the Old Worthington neighborhood. There is a wide variety of neighborhoods in the Worthington City School District.
I am not disputing that 'A Walkable, Convenient Place', is coveted.
Old Worthington is very walkable. Neighborhoods adjacent to Old Worthington are very walkable. Old Worthington was walkable in 1996. Old Worthington was walkable in 2006 when Zillow was introduced.
The Village of Worthington (now Old Worthington) was very walkable in 1803.
Is Old Worthington the only walkable neighborhood in the City of Worthington? Hardly.
Not all Worthington schools neighborhoods are walkable
When you get to neighborhoods north of 270 and west of the Olentangy River in the Worthington City School District, yes they were developed to be car dependent, you needed to drive to the supermarket and mall. Neighborhoods in the West Worthington area are car dependent. Neighborhoods in Worthington Schools outside the City of Worthington (City of Columbus neighborhoods and neighborhoods in unincorporated areas) were developed more spread out. There is not a grocery store at the center of each development. You need to drive to the grocery store and the mall. Schools... do the kids need to be bused or driven to schools? Some of the neighborhoods are very accessible to the schools, particularly the elementary schools, even in the areas that were developed in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and into the 1990s. Not all of the Worthington neighborhoods are walkable to the schools, even the elementary schools.
Even the 1950s and 1960s era neighborhoods in the City of Worthington have relatively good WalkScores, don't they? People walk to the Worthington Farmer's Market, the schools, parks, pools, tennis courts in Worthington, don't they? 5 Walkable Worthington Neighborhoods
'A Walkable, Convenient Place' - Comparing Apples and Oranges?
Downtown Columbus and the Short North have some great neighborhoods, new developments (many of the housing options in the area are condominiums rather than single family living) high priced areas. There are some very walkable areas in downtown Columbus, and nearby neighborhoods.
Who is Christopher B. Leinberger? the New York Time Opinion piece says "Disclosure: I am the president of Locus, a coalition of real estate developers and investors, and a project of Smart Growth America, which supports walkable neighborhoods and transit-oriented development."
Also "A professor at the George Washington University School of Business and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution." ... a smart guy.
I think Christopher B. Leinberger just told you what a great value your Worthington home is!
How Walkable is your home? WalkScore.com
The url of 'Now Coveted: A Walkable, Convenient Place' is written by Christopher B. Leinberger is http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/27/opinion/sunday/now-coveted-a-walkable-convenient-place.html?_r=1
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Information is deemed to be accurate but should be verified to your satisfaction. Information provided herein is supplied by several sources and is subject to change without notice. Opinions expressed are solely those of Maureen McCabe.
