Hilliard City Council is scheduled to consider a proposal to rezone 265 acres of land for an expansion of the Hill Farm subdivision at its March 10 regular meeting.
The rezoning application was approved by the City’s Planning & Zoning Commission at its Feb. 13 meeting. The approval, which is a recommendation to Council, includes the condition that the project may not move ahead until the City is authorized sewer connections from the City of Columbus to serve the proposed homes within the Big Darby watershed.
The City of Hilliard received notice Feb. 19 that Columbus would allocate the equivalent of an additional 1,331 residential sewer taps (ERUs) within the Big Darby area. These taps could be applied to the proposed development with Council approval.
The City Council meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Council Chambers at the Hilliard Municipal Building, 3800 Municipal Way. The meeting is open to the public. Written or emailed comments may be filed with the City prior to the meeting date. Copies of written or emailed comments will be provided to all Council members.
About the proposed development
The proposed Hills Farm expansion would add 300 single-family lots and 186 acres of open space within the 265 acres of the proposed subdivision, which is located near Elliott, Scioto Darby, and Langton roads.
In 2023, Hilliard adopted updated zoning regulations for the Big Darby watershed, which includes a requirement for 70 percent of the land in a development to be open space. There are also updated standards on naturalizing open space and storm water features.
The proposed project includes efforts to preserve and protect the property that contains the headwaters of the Clover Groff stream which feeds into the Big Darby Creek. The headwaters property is part of the 70 percent of the property being preserved as green space. Additionally, the proposal calls for 30 acres of reforestation within the development.
The preservation of open space would further the City’s goal of creating a green belt on the City’s western edge and connecting the area via trails to neighborhoods and regional parks. That goal is one of the priorities of the most recent Community Plan update. The Community Plan defines the City’s primary land use strategy. It was developed with significant resident input and received final approval by City Council in 2023.
Transportation connections
Additionally, the proposed Hills Farm addition calls for roadway connections to the original portion of the Hill Farm development, as well as connections to Elliott Road, Jeffrelyn Drive, and two streets within the Tarlton Meadows subdivision.
These local street connections have been planned by the City of Hilliard for years and are important to ensure residents in the area have multiples ways into, out of, and between neighborhoods, according to City engineers.
Within the limits of Hill Farm II, Elliott Road will be widened to include 11-foot vehicle lanes and 2-foot paved shoulders, similar to the street section in front of Tarlton Meadows to the north and the first phase of Hill Farm to the south.
The Hill Farm II developer has also committed to contributing funding toward a portion of the cost of the future single lane roundabout at the intersection of Cosgray Road and Jeffrelyn Drive. This will enable the City to begin design of this intersection improvement in 2026, subject to the approval of Council.
Background
The first phase of Hill Farm, which is currently under construction, consists of 229 single-family lots on 204 acres. It was approved by Hilliard City Council in 2021.
In 2006, Hilliard joined other municipalities in voluntarily entering into an agreement known as the Big Darby Accord Watershed Master Plan. That agreement referenced limits on development within the Darby watershed that Columbus established capping the number of new sewer connections within Hilliard’s portion of the Darby watershed to 2,000.
Development projects, including the first phase of Hill Farm, have since consumed all of the original 2,000 allotted sewer connections, meaning no remaining connections were available for the Hill Farm expansion. This month’s approval of additional taps from the City of Columbus extends the number of additional connections by 1,331 equivalent residential units (ERUs.)
View the staff report on the project here.
View the staff presentation on the project here.
