Most Westerville homeowners know their home's value tracks with the usual suspects: school district, condition, location relative to Uptown, proximity to 270 or 71. What they overlook is the thing happening quietly in 2026 that could reshape that calculus for the next decade: Westerville is in the middle of writing its next long-range parks master plan, and the neighborhoods that come out of it with new or upgraded green space are going to be positioned differently than the ones that don't.
That's not a hunch. Decades of research into parks and property values back it up. Here's what's actually happening, what the data says, and how to think about whether your street benefits.
What Is PROS 3 and Why Does It Matter
Westerville's Parks and Recreation Advisory Board launched PROS 3 in 2026, the city's next long-range Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces master plan. Consultant 110% is leading a community-input-heavy process to map out where Westerville's capital dollars go over the coming decade.
The plan covers everything: new parks and open space, facility and trail upgrades, programming, maintenance priorities. When PROS 3 lands, City Council uses it to target spending. That means the neighborhoods that end up in the plan as priority corridors get the parks, trailheads, and greenway connections. The ones that don't get to wait.
This builds on the existing PROS levy (Issue 24), a renewal that funds development, operations, and maintenance of Westerville's parks system. The levy keeps the current system running. PROS 3 decides where the next wave of investment goes.
The input window is now. If you've been paying attention to the PROS 3 community surveys and public sessions, you're watching the map get drawn in real time.
The Research on Parks and Home Values
There's a body of urban economics research specifically on how parks, greenways, and open space affect residential property values. The findings are consistent enough to be worth taking seriously.
Reviews of multiple studies show that most types of urban parks and greenways increase nearby single-family home values, with greenways and community parks producing the most measurable effect. Urban economics research, including work by the Trust for Public Land and academic reviewers, has found value premiums in the range of 8 to 10 percent for homes directly fronting a passive urban park, with the effect tapering off within roughly 500 feet.
Other research has documented cases where well-kept parks correlated with neighborhood values running 20 to 30 percent higher versus comparable areas without green space, though the range varies widely by market and park type. The range is wide because it depends on what type of park, how well it's maintained, and whether the surrounding neighborhood already commands demand.
A few things the research is consistent on:
Trail corridors carry more weight than isolated green patches. A connected greenway that links neighborhoods to Uptown or the Alum Creek trail network is more valuable than a standalone vest-pocket park. Buyers use trails. They don't always use a small passive green space.
Maintenance matters almost as much as existence. A well-maintained park lifts adjacent values. A neglected one suppresses them. Westerville's track record here is strong, which is part of why PROS 3 investment is credible as a value signal.
The premium concentrates within 500 feet, then drops off. If your home is a half-mile from the planned park, you're getting ambient benefit, not the front-row premium. Proximity to the investment is the driver.
What PROS 3 Is Actually Looking At
The plan isn't public in final form yet, but the community-input process has surfaced several priority areas already moving through funding channels, including projects like Walnut Ridge Run restoration and park upgrades. As PROS 3 identifies where to add or upgrade parks, trails, and natural areas, adjacent neighborhoods pick up something that didn't exist on their listing sheet before: a future amenity with real buyer appeal.
For current owners in those corridors, that's a long-term equity event playing out quietly while they're still in the house. For buyers evaluating Westerville neighborhoods right now, knowing which streets are likely in the priority zone is information the listing sheet doesn't give you.
Why This Works in Westerville's Market Specifically
Westerville is not a homogeneous market. Prices and demand patterns vary significantly by location within the city. The areas closest to Uptown, to Otterbein's campus, and to established trail connections have historically held tighter on price and moved faster. Parts of the market further from those assets trade at a discount.
Park and trail investments that close that amenity gap tend to show up in prices over time. Not immediately. The effect builds as the infrastructure goes in, gets used, and gets woven into how buyers describe a neighborhood to their friends.
Westerville's demographics compound this. The buyers paying $550K to $800K in this market increasingly price in walkability and outdoor access. They're comparing Westerville to Dublin, Powell, and New Albany. Green space and trail connectivity are real differentiators in that comparison, not afterthoughts.
The PROS 3 process is deciding, right now, which Westerville neighborhoods get to make that argument to buyers over the next decade.
What This Means if You Own in Westerville
If you bought in Westerville and you're planning to stay for five to ten years, knowing where PROS 3 investment is headed is relevant to your equity picture. A new park or trailhead within a few blocks of your home is a legitimate value event, not a minor amenity upgrade.
If you're thinking about selling in the next two to three years, the PROS 3 priority map is worth understanding before you price and time your listing. Neighborhoods that are in a pre-investment phase sometimes price at a discount before the work is done. After the work is done, they don't.
If you're buying in Westerville right now, asking which streets are likely in the PROS 3 investment corridor is an additional question worth adding to your list. School district information is publicly available and easy to look up. The park investment map is what most buyers aren't factoring in.
The Honest Caveat
Parks plans don't always execute on schedule. The PROS 3 plan will set priorities, but capital allocation is a City Council decision, and timelines can shift based on funding, contractor availability, and community politics. The Walnut Ridge Run project and similar efforts have funding momentum, but nothing is on the ground until it's on the ground.
What the plan does do is establish priority. That's not nothing. When the city has a documented plan, adjacent investment follows. That's how Westerville has historically used its PROS levy, and PROS 3 is a continuation of the same approach.
So: don't buy a house specifically banking on a park that isn't built yet. But if you're already in a neighborhood that's likely to see PROS 3 investment, or you're choosing between two streets and one has a better shot at new trail access, that's worth weighting in your analysis.
How to Know if Your Street Is in Play
The PROS 3 community input process is public, and the priority areas being discussed are not secret. What takes work is mapping that information against current listings, recent sales, and the specific addresses you're thinking about, and putting it into context for your situation.
That's exactly what I do for clients trying to make sense of Westerville's different pockets. If you want a read on how the PROS 3 priorities line up with a specific neighborhood or address, reach out directly. I'll pull PROS 3 focus areas, current project status, and recent sales in that corridor so you can see how the 2026 park decisions could affect your equity position.
You can book a conversation at calendly.com/adam-geuy or call or text me at 937-239-2919.
Adam Geuy, Realtor - NextHome Experience | ABR, PSA, SRS | License #202000794 Each office is independently owned and operated.