Hilliard council discusses Hill Farm 2 rezoning, adopts sewer-tap policy while hearings continue

Residents from multiple neighborhoods asked Hilliard City Council on March 10 to delay or change plans for the proposed Hill Farm 2 housing development, saying the project could harm Big Darby watershed streams and increase dangerous traffic on local streets. Council voted to adopt a policy for assigning newly available sewer ‘‘taps’’ but did not decide the rezoning or the development agreement for Hill Farm 2; both were scheduled for a March 24 public hearing.

Many residents said the expansion would add hundreds of homes and worsen safety on Jeffrey Lynn and surrounding streets. ‘‘The extension of the current Hill Farm housing development will add 300 homes and will have an effect on not only my family and neighbors on Elliot Road, but especially on the Big Darby Creek,’’ said Kara Bettner, a Brown Township resident who spoke during the public comment period.

The council’s new policy directs how Hilliard will assign 1,331 sewer ERUs that the city of Columbus identified as available for the Roberts Milliken subtrunk. Law Director Daniel Riley explained the policy’s intent: ‘‘Sanitary sewer taps are to be assigned by city council as part of the approval of future development plans, and the assignment will be guided by the following rank order,’’ (the resolution lists priorities that favor in‑city properties consistent with the community plan, then annexations that align with the plan, then other proposals). The resolution passed on a 6–0 roll call.

Why it matters: The Big Darby watershed is nationally recognized for high biodiversity. Multiple speakers urged the council to wait for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) water‑quality and biodiversity update and for the ongoing Darby Accord revision before allocating new sewer capacity or approving large new subdivisions.

Key facts and local context - Project scale and design: The Hill Farm 2 proposal presented by the applicant would create about 300 single‑family lots clustered on roughly 265.8 acres, preserving about 186 acres as open space; the developer’s density works out to about 1.13 units per acre in the planned conservation design. - Sewer capacity: City of Columbus provided a letter (dated in February 2025) indicating 1,331 taps could be available in the Roberts Milliken subtrunk; speakers and staff noted that some lots on the Hill Farm site would route to a separate sewer trunk and would not count against that 1,331 in that calculation. - Developer contributions and finances: The draft development agreement filed with council would include a $370,000 developer contribution toward a single‑lane roundabout at Jeffrey Lynn and Cosgray and an estimated $8.6 million in assessed millage revenues if Hill Farm enters the Hilliard Community Authority; the agreement also contemplates up to roughly $1 million in partial sanitary sewer reimbursement credits for the developer for certain regional sewer costs, per the materials presented by staff and the applicant.

Public comments and technical concerns Speakers from Tarleton Meadows, Estates at Hoffman Farms and other nearby neighborhoods described repeated close calls, high speeds and at least two recent roll‑over crashes near the Jeffrey Lynn–Cosgray intersection. Resident Heather Bickley described a near‑miss when a driver passed a stopped car while her son was crossing after school.

Environmental groups and scientists at the meeting urged caution. Nathan Johnson of the Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund requested a delay, saying, “ODNR recently began updating its water quality biodiversity data,” and that waiting for that modeling and the Darby Accord update would give decision‑makers better information. John Tetzloff, president of the Darby Creek Association, told council: ‘‘Under the Darby Accord, Hilliard is limited to 2,000 taps full stop,’’ and urged the city not to reallocate taps unilaterally while the accord update is underway.

Council action and next steps - Tap‑assignment policy: Council adopted resolution 25‑R‑81 establishing the policy and rank order to guide assignment of the additional ERUs; vote: 6–0 (yes: Vermillion, Cole, Betts, Hale, Catone, Teeter). The policy requires council approval for tap assignments and ranks in‑city, community‑plan‑consistent proposals highest. - Rezoning and development agreement (ordinances 25‑O‑06, 25‑O‑07): Both items were introduced and discussed in detail. Council did not vote on either ordinance at this meeting; both were scheduled for a second reading and public hearing on March 24, 2025. Staff and council asked for further technical details and noted the statutorily constrained annexation/review timeline for related properties.

Discussion points council and staff emphasized - Watershed monitoring and science: Several speakers and council members stressed the need to incorporate ODNR’s ongoing modeling and biodiversity work and to participate in the Darby Accord revision process before final approvals. - Traffic mitigation: City staff described the traffic studies submitted for the site, noting the Hill Farm development would add an estimated 45 new AM peak hour trips and about 62 PM peak‑hour trips on the eastern portion. The developer’s proposed partial funding for the single‑lane roundabout at Cosgray/Jeffrey Lynn was described as a potential mitigation measure and a factor in scoring grant applications for the roundabout. - Conservation design and density bonuses: Planning staff explained the proposal uses conservation clustering (clustered lots plus large preserved open space) and that city code allows density bonuses when developments add extraordinary infrastructure costs or sustainable design elements (staff cited roughly $1 million in additional developer costs tied to sewer, roundabout contributions and woodland restoration as relevant to any bonus calculation).

Voices quoted in the meeting (selection) - Kara Bettner, resident: ‘‘The extension of the current Hill Farm housing development will add 300 homes and will have an effect on not only my family and neighbors on Elliot Road, but especially on the Big Darby Creek.’’ - Nathan Johnson, Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund: ‘‘ODNR recently began updating its water quality biodiversity data.’’ - John Tetzloff, Darby Creek Association: ‘‘Under the Darby Accord, Hilliard is limited to 2,000 taps full stop.’’

What council said about timing and procedure Council members repeatedly referred to the ongoing Darby Accord update and ODNR work and said they would consider those materials in advance of the March 24 public hearing. Council also adopted the sewer‑tap policy to provide a framework for how to allocate additional ERUs across potential proposals.

Ending Council left the substantive land‑use choices for Hill Farm 2 and the developer agreement open for formal decision at the March 24 hearing. In the interim, residents and conservation groups said they will press for tabling or restrictions until ODNR modeling and the Darby Accord update are complete.