On Monday, Oct. 26, City Council will consider agreements for the sale and purchase of multiple parcels of land that, if approved, will pave the way for data center developments, new community sports fields, and parkland in Hilliard.
The data center development is expected to bring 100 jobs and millions of dollars of revenue into the community and school district.
The parkland development will create new sports fields on land adjacent to Municipal Park and the Hilliard Soccer Complex on Scioto Darby-Creek Road.
Here are the highlights of the agreements:
The City currently owns nearly 97 acres of land between Cosgray Road and Leppert Road, known as the Grener property. The City will buy an additional 20 acres from Hilliard City School District for $2.8 million.
The City of Hilliard will then sell 104 acres to a company that plans to build a $200 million data center development on the site, which would create 100 new jobs with an annual payroll of $8 million.
The school district will receive approximately $2 million per year in revenue when the data centers are fully developed. The City will receive an estimated $160,000 per year in added income tax revenues. Norwich Township will receive more than $70,700 per year in new property tax revenues.
This commercial development will not add more students to Hilliard Schools, and City Council has set stringent development standards for building setbacks and landscaping/mounding on the Grener site. Once constructed, data centers are a low-impact use that generate minimal traffic and require few demands on City and community services compared to many other types of developments, such as residential and retail projects.
The City will use 75 percent of the proceeds from the Grener property sale to purchase, develop, or improve parkland within the City.
In the second agreement, the City will buy 125 acres of land (the Jerman property) south of Scioto-Darby Creek Road, adjacent to Municipal Park and existing City-owned athletic fields. This land will be developed with athletic fields and additional park amenities.
The Jerman property purchase will produce other community benefits, including the addition of a road through the site that will improve traffic flow.
