Photograph of Buildings Under Construction at Hartford at Stafford Village

This photograph, shared on the City of Worthington's Facebook page on August 23, 2022, shows buildings at the Hartford on Stafford Village under construction.

Prior to the construction project, Stafford Village had been the site of single-story apartments for 50 years. Within five years of its opening in January 1971, Stafford Village had become a popular residence for senior citizens in the community, with waitlists of three years for an efficiency apartment and seven years for a one-bedroom place.

In 2015, National Church Residences (NCR) purchased the 65 units composing Stafford Village. NCR already owned the 23 units making up Stafford Court, located across Hartford Street from Stafford Village. NCR had managed Stafford Village since 2001, although the property was owned by an independent board that included representatives of Worthington Presbyterian Church.

In 2018, NCR announced a redevelopment of the Village, with plans to tear down 57 units and replace them with an 85-unit apartment building featuring a mix of one- and two-bedroom units. After two years of community discussion and redesign, the city gave NCR its approval to go ahead with the project, named Hartford at Stafford Village, in July of 2020. Official groundbreaking for the project took place on May 13, 2021, with an anticipated opening date of summer, 2023.