A recent study of German Village likely confirmed what many already suspected: The neighborhood is an affluent bedroom community with a vibrant retail culture.

But the neighborhood does have room for improvement, according to the graduate students in the city and regional planning program at The Ohio State University who spent a quarter reviewing the mix of residential and retail in the community.

The students presented their findings Dec. 8 to the German Village Society’s long-range planning committee. In short, the village has gold-plated demographics: well-educated, wealthy residents and a largely expensive housing stock.

It is a community of mostly young people between 20 and 39 years old that has a larger residential percentage (85 percent) than the rest of Columbus (81.5 percent).

Yet, only about half the residences are owner-occupied. No breakdown was provided of the ages of people who own property as opposed to those who rent, though one student plans to continue compiling data from the village.

The students said they did a visual inventory of the village and found only 10 developable parcels.

They said they saw opportunities for more conversion from residential to retail. The community could establish a local business association that has historic-district professionals to guide future development.

The students recommended creating an iPhone application to promote tourist sites and businesses, something that is already in the works, said Shiloh Todorov, director of the German Village Society.

There was a call for better public transportation access in light of the neighborhood’s tight parking.

The I-71/70 interchange project could also create opportunities to better connect with downtown Columbus, which is expecting an influx of 16,500 residents over the next 20 years, students said. One possibility is to build a cap over I-70 at South Third Street.

Visibility also is important, so students suggested installing gateway arches at prominent intersections. Students also recommended keeping consumer dollars in the neighborhood by creating a business incubator or community-development corporation.

Carolyn McCall, chair of the long-range planning committee, called the information a “great first step” in understanding the relationship between residential and retail uses in the neighborhood.

“We’re going to have to take a lot of time deciding what we want to do with this,” she said.