Planning Commission backs amended I‑270 zoning changes, forwards recommendation to city council

The Hilliard Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously Thursday to forward an amended zoning code package for the I‑270 Corridor to City Council, recommending changes staff and commissioners said aim to guide long‑term redevelopment along the interstate corridor.

City planning staff and commissioners described the package as a set of zoning tools that implement the February 2023 Community Plan and the city’s February 2024 zoning code update. “Existing properties can continue to operate in the same way that they are today and even expand,” city planning staff said during the presentation, noting the proposed rules are intended to provide clarity for future redevelopment.

Commission discussion focused on three topics: which parcels should be included in the Flex Employment district, permitted uses in the I‑3 and Flex Employment districts, and building height and adjacency controls near residential areas. Commissioners proposed removing one agricultural parcel at Hayden Run and Britton Parkway from the Flex Employment district; staff said removing that parcel would not affect the overall proposal because the property’s existing PUD already limits uses and height on parts of the site.

The commission also agreed to add office uses — listed as office campus, office flex and office medical — to the I‑3 district and to extend that designation to five parcels north toward Davidson, to reduce the likelihood of light industrial uses directly adjacent to neighborhoods. On height and massing the commission settled on a shared maximum of 55 feet and five stories for the I‑3 and Flex Employment districts, and asked staff to keep the adjacency “step‑down” language that reduces height near residential parcels.

Several residents from Carrington Place and nearby neighborhoods spoke during public comment, raising concerns about loss of a nearby agricultural parcel, traffic and the compatibility of higher‑intensity uses with surrounding single‑family neighborhoods. Mary Ellis, of Brittenhurst Drive, asked whether the parcel being removed could be rezoned to residential; staff replied that parcel changes can be requested by property owners or approved by council and that tonight’s action would not prevent a future rezoning request.

After the discussion, the commission approved a motion to forward a positive recommendation as amended; the recommendation will now go to City Council for final action.

What’s next: City Council will consider the commission’s recommendation at a future meeting; staff said any property owner seeking a different future use will still need to follow the city’s rezoning or development review processes.