This is the second in a series of neighborhood portraits that will appear in Healthy New Albany Magazine. The series shows what makes each neighborhood unique while exploring how its residents pursue Healthy New Albany’s ideal for physical and mental health by creating a sense of community and belonging.
Photo by Bob Valasek
Among New Albany neighborhoods, Hampsted Village Community takes a page right out of the Goldilocks story.
It isn’t the oldest New Albany neighborhood, but it isn’t very new either. It doesn’t have the largest homes with the biggest lots, but the homes and lots aren’t the smallest either. To the residents of Hampsted Village, Hampsted Green and Hampsted Heath, their neighborhood is just right.
Construction on the nearly 700-home neighborhood began in 1994 on land that used to belong in large part to the Prairie House property, and it was completed nine years later. Hampsted Village Community is comprised of three distinct areas, each with its own distinct feel, but all with the unmistakable Hampsted character. It is bordered to the west by Hampsted Green on the western side of Harlem Road, the north by Fodor Road, the east by Morgan Road and the south by Dublin-Granville Road.
This location puts the New Albany-Plain Local Schools, Swickard Woods Park, the Plain Township Aquatic Center, the Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts, the library and Market and Main streets all within easy walking distance, even for kids. It is for this reason, along with the relationships he has with the people in his neighborhood, that longtime resident Mic Gordon says, “In my opinion, the Hampsted Village Community is the best neighborhood in central Ohio.”
Photos courtesy of Bill Babbitt
Gordon is a real estate agent and member of the Hampsted Village Association Board of Trustees. The association oversees and maintains the design integrity of the neighborhood.
New Albany residents who don’t live in Hampsted are likely familiar with the annual Community Garage Sale. On June 18, Hampsted will host its 18th annual. All have been organized by resident Bill Babbitt.
“It’s one day per year where everyone has an opportunity to host a garage sale, and because of the large number of sales available, it brings in customers from all around the central Ohio area,” says Gordon.
Beyond this highly organized event, most get-togethers in Hampsted are of the impromptu variety. Lydia DeCarlo and her husband, Dave, have lived in Hampsted Village for 11 years, and Lydia sees these types of gatherings as germane to her love for the neighborhood. She especially enjoys warmer evenings when everyone steps out of the house.
“All the neighbors come out with their kids or take their dogs for a walk,” Lydia says. “Everyone talks to everyone else, and you are reminded that it’s the people around you that really make up that feeling that you are home.”
In Hampsted Green, the neighbors gather in the central green space that includes a large gazebo. In Hampsted Heath, the neighbors often meet on the benches and path that surround the beautiful pond that borders the north side of the area. On Independence Day, Hampsted residents know the best place to watch the fireworks in New Albany is the green space at the corner of Fodor Road and Heath Gate Drive, because it’s close enough to New Albany High School’s Veterans Stadium, where the fireworks are launched, that you get a perfect view. Even better, there’s only a short walk home to escape the traffic jam when the show is over.
Friday nights in the fall are always special in Ohio, but Hampsted’s proximity to Veterans Stadium contributes to one of Dave’s favorite parts about living here.
“It’s awesome how Hampsted Village is a quick walk to the stadium to support the Eagles football team, and you can actually see the lights and hear the announcements over the loud speakers from home,” he says.
Large green spaces in which to gather, small distances to the best New Albany has to offer: Hampsted Village Community really is just right.
New Albany resident Bob Valasek is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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