Council narrows data-center options in I‑270 corridor zoning update, adopts ordinance after amendment

HILLIARD, Ohio — The Hilliard City Council adopted ordinance 25‑17 on July 14 to update zoning for properties in the I‑270 corridor, and during the meeting council amended the legislation to limit how data centers can be sited under the new rules.

Council voted to adopt the ordinance as amended after selecting an amendment that removed data centers as a secondary permitted use and instead required them to proceed through a zoning-change or conditional-use process (the council vote on the amendment passed 3‑?; the final ordinance passed by roll call as amended). The ordinance will take effect at the earliest date allowable by law.

City planning staff presented four options for treating data centers in the new flex-employment zoning: retain data centers as a secondary permitted use with a high-density threshold (option 1); make them a conditional use (option 2); remove them as a permitted secondary use so any future request would require rezoning/conditional approval (option 3); or allow them but cap data-center floor area at a percentage of permitted uses on a site (option 4). Planning staff explained option 1 would practically limit stand‑alone data centers because the secondary-permitted-use threshold requires significant existing permitted-use density, while option 4 would allow smaller, accessory data centers but limit their size.

Council opted for option 3 in an amendment motion on the floor. Supporters of the amendment said it preserves council review authority and prevents large, stand‑alone data-center campus projects from appearing under the secondary‑use language. Planning staff cautioned that option 3 might deter some site selectors who would not pursue a parcel if the use is not listed as permitted, while proponents said requiring a public rezoning or conditional-use process ensures community review.

Planning staff also outlined adjacency and step‑down standards limiting building height near residential districts, including a requirement that buildings over two stories or 35 feet and abutting residential districts be set back an additional 50 feet. Staff noted the overall zoning package implements concepts from the 2023 community plan to encourage mixed-use development and flex-employment opportunities.

Council debate included questions about how often flex‑tech employers actually need dedicated data‑center buildings; staff said many companies confine computing needs to rooms within facilities and that standalone data-center buildings typically require substantial users.

The ordinance also includes design standards, height limits, and a “secondary permitted use” framework that requires 10,000 square feet of permitted uses per acre before secondary uses apply. The council approved the ordinance as amended and will publish it per standard procedures.