City of Hilliard, OH
Comprehensive Plan

Hilliard, Ohio, is a fast-growing city in the Columbus region. Its previous comprehensive plan was adopted in 2011 and served the community well while the population grew by 30%. As growth was forecasted to continue, the community needed a new plan to create more distinctive places, better utilize land, leverage its regional trails, create more competitive business locations, and be fiscally sustainable. Planning NEXT lead the team, including transportation partner Burgess & Niple and fiscal analysis consultant Urban3, to create a new comprehensive plan and thoroughfare plan. The process, called Hilliard by Design, integrated economic and fiscal vitality, land use, parks and public spaces, and active transportation elements.

Representing the community and meeting people where they are

The Team assisted with assembling a 30-member volunteer “community committee” to help with public outreach and provided guidance and direction for the plan. The Team undertook various methods to engage people and collect input. For the first round of engagement, the team held a workshop at a local brewery during happy hour. During the second round, The Team attended various community events throughout the summer to talk with people and gather feedback on preliminary plan ideas. These events were supplemented by online input using the city’s engagement platform.

Understanding and incorporating fiscal impacts

A significant part of the process was to incorporate an analysis of the fiscal impacts of land use. The Team analyzed the long-term net revenue and costs of various land use types specific to Hilliard. That analysis was used to inform discussions about changes to growth priorities such as whether to support low density development on the city’s rural western edge and how much residential was beneficial in a mixed-use development.

Focus area planning

Five target locations were identified for emphasis in the plan. Each focus area presented unique planning challenges that required further stakeholder input, technical analysis, design guidance, illustrations, and detailed development strategies for land use, transportation and mobility, and placemaking.

Related News

Final Plan Document

Hilliard by Design

Tags

Project Type: comprehensive plan
Community Type: city
Client: City of Hilliard
Services: comprehensive planning, area planning, community engagement