In 2021, the City of Hilliard engaged Planning NEXT to create a new Comprehensive Community Plan. For the next 18 months, Planning NEXT worked with the City of Hilliard staff, City Council, the Planning Commission, and a 30-member Steering Committee to clarify the community’s vision and establish a roadmap for future growth.
The new plan was adopted in 2023 and remains a critical tool for decision-making. The City of Hilliard team recently met with Planning NEXT to share an update on their implementation, noting the plan’s ongoing relevance and usefulness.
- In 2024, Hilliard adopted a new zoning district for the Big Darby watershed region: Conservation Employment. As part of this zoning classification, all property annexed into the City in the Darby region will be zoned as Conservation Employment and will have to meet stringent open space and storm water regulations designed to protect the Big Darby. The framework for this zoning update was in the Community Plan.
- In February 2025, Hilliard formally obtained 1,331 additional sewer taps from the City of Columbus. The Community Plan contemplated this event occurring and made recommendations based on the possibility of additional growth. Hilliard subsequently adopted a policy to guide the allocation of these sewer taps that prioritizes conservation employment development.
- The City is preparing to adopt zoning code changes for the I-270 area that will follow recommendations made in the Community Plan. A major component of this will be the possibility of additional density, including housing, in areas that are currently zoned as single purpose office and commercial properties, if certain conditions are met.
- The City of Hilliard is moving forward with a housing study to help further elements of the Community Plan that calls for a range of expanded housing types.
- In late 2024, the City purchased a large undeveloped site off Davidson Road to develop as an income-generating flex office site. Revenue data contained in the Community Plan was central to the discussions about whether to proceed with the purchase.
While the final plan is the most visible outcome of the visioning and planning process, its real value lies in the lasting tool it creates: a shared framework that guides growth, informs decision-making, and fosters unity. When communities rally around a clear framework, turning vision into reality becomes far more achievable.
