New roads connecting Cleveland Avenue directly to Africa Road are expected to open in Westerville this Friday, September 18, weather permitting, as the city pushes forward with its largest capital investment project to date. The roughly two-mile roadway network includes integrated bicycle paths, park-like retention ponds, and preserved tree canopy along the corridor.
The roads are planned as part of Westar Park, which the city calls its next phase of planned development east of Africa Road and adjacent to the established Westar Place business district. According to the post, the project preserves green spaces while adding new connections to Westerville's existing trail network. The roadway build-out includes an extension of Westar Boulevard and Hoff Road along with a new traffic roundabout, a configuration first detailed when the project broke ground on March 12, 2025, according to the Delaware Gazette.
An $8.4 Million Land Deal Behind a $30 Million Buildout
Westerville acquired the 88-acre Westar Park site in 2023 for $8.4 million through the Westerville Industry and Commerce Corporation, a purchase local officials consider the city's largest single capital investment project, per reporting from The Westerville News. Land purchases for the project were funded through municipal economic development transfers. Since then, the city and its economic development arm have worked to prepare five shovel-ready sites for corporate office, flex-tech, life sciences, and advanced manufacturing tenants.
To make room for the Westar Boulevard extension across Africa Road, Westerville bought a 1.5-acre residential parcel for $710,000 in late 2024. The report also discusses the property.
Plugging Into an Already Booming Job Corridor
Westar Park sits directly beside the Westar Place business district, an area created after a 941-acre annexation that now supports more than 10,000 regional jobs. That corridor is near major employer facilities including DHL Supply Chain and Central Ohio Primary Care, according to 10TV. The same station also covered employers in the area.
The new roadway network directly borders three established residential subdivisions to the east — Ashton Village, Berkshire Commons, and Courtyards of Village Crossing — according to the Delaware Gazette. Some nearby residents have expressed concern over the loss of farmland and open space as the former agricultural acreage transitions into commercial development, per that same coverage.
A Civil War-Era House Caught Between Past and Progress
Tucked inside the new development is the Stephen Sharp House, built around 1857 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its role as an Underground Railroad station. The home includes a basement and other architectural features, and the Sharp family were among the early abolitionist settlers in Delaware County, according to the Westerville Guidebook. The building remains part of the area's history. The home remains within the development.
The road bordering the project carries its own layered history. Africa Road got its name before the Civil War, when local anti-slavery Wesleyan Methodists sheltered escaping slaves in nearby homes, prompting a pro-slavery neighbor to disparagingly call the settlement “Africa,” according to 1808Delaware. Abolitionist residents at the time embraced the name for both the village and the road, the outlet notes.
Preparing for the Opening
Ahead of the opening, the development is moving toward its next phase. With the roadway opening now set for Friday, attention is turning to that transition.
