Hilliard council holds first reading on I‑270 corridor rezoning, limits height and adds protections for nearby residences

Council members on Monday heard a staff presentation and completed a first reading of ordinance 25‑17, a package of zoning text and map changes for the I‑270 corridor intended to guide redevelopment in that area.

The proposal updates Chapter 11.16 and the city’s land‑use tables to create an I‑6 urban‑core zone and a broader “flex employment” zone that aims to encourage office, research and development, and light industrial uses. Planning staff told council the changes are meant to encourage redevelopment while preserving revenue‑generating employment uses that support city services.

Planning staff said the proposed package does not rezone any existing residential parcels but noted some residences lie within 400 feet of affected parcels. The planning commission reviewed the text and made changes, including moving multifamily housing to a “secondary permitted” use in one district and adding adjacency protections for nearby homes. “If your building is taller than two stories or 35 feet, either the I‑3 or the flex employment district, you’d have to be set back an additional 50 feet from the side lot line or the rear lot line,” planning staff told council.

Why it matters: I‑270 is a major employment and tax base area for Hilliard. The zoning update is intended to shape what types of development and how much density can occur along the freeway as older buildings redevelop, which affects traffic, utility needs and neighborhood impacts.

Key points from the discussion - Height: Draft language that had allowed up to 150 feet was adjusted; most flex‑employment areas now have a 55‑foot/ five‑story cap. Planning staff said the 150‑foot figure matched an existing 12‑story building in Mill Run but council and the planning commission pushed to lower that limit to reduce impacts on nearby residences. - Step‑down and setbacks: The text includes an “adjacency” requirement and additional landscaping for buildings taller than two stories when adjacent to residential districts. - Secondary permitted uses: The draft allows secondary uses — most notably multifamily residential — on sites that maintain a specified amount of primary employment use (planning staff said a permitted use must have 10,000 square feet per acre or more before secondary uses apply). Council members asked how that condition would be applied and how tall buildings could be in specific areas; planning staff answered that a 55‑foot/ five‑story limit applies in many places. - Data centers: The draft lists data centers as a limited, secondary permitted use in some circumstances (planning staff said Verizon already has a small data center on its campus). Council members debated whether to keep data centers as a secondary permitted use, shift them to conditional use, or remove them entirely; council asked staff to return with options and potential size or use‑specific limits. - Uses and exclusions: Hospitals are not included in the proposed text as a permitted use; planning staff said hospitals remain a separate line item and could be added later by amendment or specific rezoning. Colleges and post‑secondary education uses are included in some districts, while K‑12 uses were discussed as typically permitted in residential or S‑1 districts, not here. - Design standards and landscaping: Council discussed design standards including tree species and whether to require native species; staff said the engineering design manual and city forester guidance govern planting standards and that staff can return with wording changes. - Traffic and pedestrian connections: Council members asked about traffic impacts, the need for traffic studies for large developments and a long‑term goal to improve pedestrian/bicycle crossing at Davidson Road; planning staff said traffic impact studies accompany major site plans and that improvements would require coordination with ODOT and other agencies.

Next steps: Counciled the ordinance on first reading; planning staff will return with refinements, including options on data‑center treatment, and the ordinance will have a second reading and public hearing on July 14, 2025.

Details and limitations: This article summarizes statements on the ordinance and related drafts presented at the June 23 meeting. It describes policy options discussed and the first‑reading status of the legislation; it does not report final approvals beyond the recorded first reading.