Hilliard council reviews proposed I‑270 zoning changes focusing on office, ‘flex’ employment and Mill Run

HILLIARD, Ohio — Hilliard City Council’s Committee of the Whole discussed proposed zoning code changes for areas near Interstate 270 at its May 12 meeting, focusing on encouraging office and “flex” employment uses, clarifying standards for Mill Run, and allowing limited secondary uses such as housing or retail once an office threshold is met.

The proposed map would designate parcels into new categories — I‑1, I‑3 (Hickory Chase), I‑6 (including the Verizon site identified as an urban core) and a flex employment (IFE) district — and would add rules intended to guide redevelopment, including a 10,000 square‑foot‑of‑office‑space‑per‑acre threshold that enables secondary permitted uses, staff said.

Dan Alley, a city staff member presenting the proposal, said the package follows the city’s comprehensive plan update adopted in February 2023 and a conservation employment district chapter (Chapter 11.16) adopted in February 2024. “One of the big changes in this code is a concept called secondary permitted uses,” Alley said. “If you achieve a minimum of 10,000 square feet per acre dedicated to a permitted use, there are a range of secondary permitted uses that are allowed.” Alley added that in phased developments at least 50% of the permitted uses must be established before or concurrently with secondary uses.

Why it matters: Council members said the changes could shape what kinds of businesses and housing are allowed near I‑270, affect walkability and street patterns on large sites,…