Hilliard council schedules public hearing on Wolpert PUD after neighbors press for larger buffers and path access

Hilliard City Council on Feb. 24 set a second-reading public hearing for March 10 on a rezoning request to create the Wolpert Development Planned Unit Development on about 119.183 acres along Davidson Road.

The item drew more than a half-hour of questions from council and detailed comments from nearby residents during the meeting’s public-comment period, who asked for larger setbacks, more plantings in the buffer between new development and the Hayden Crest neighborhood, and guaranteed pedestrian-path access from Hayden Crest into the new development.

Why it matters: The site sits between existing neighborhoods and railroad tracks and is envisioned by the city’s comprehensive plan as a location where employment-generating uses could balance the long-term revenue effects of new residential growth. Neighbors and several council members pressed how the proposal will protect adjacent single-family yards while allowing commercial and “flex” employment uses.

Residents’ requests and examples: Sarah Bloom Anderson, a Hayden Crest resident, asked council to require a buffer planting “two times the minimum” required by code and to extend the setback from 150 feet to 200 feet so rear yards are not immediately adjacent to 35-foot buildings. Rachel Wiley said she and other neighbors “are used to a private street” and want visual and noise screening. Alan Morrissey described repeated truck turnarounds on Hayden Crest and urged a formal turnaround so vehicles do not damage private drives; he requested a thicker planting strip and said the council should account for heavy construction and utility vehicles using the street.

Staff explanation and standards: City staff explained existing code requirements for buffers and plantings as part of the PUD discussion. A city planner told council the code’s current minimum landscape standard along the buffer is roughly 11 trees per 100 linear feet (commonly described in staff remarks as seven large and four small trees per 100 feet, plus shrubs) and that, depending on plantings, the numeric separation required by code can be 60 feet (without plantings) or reduced to 30 feet where plantings meet the ordinance. Staff added that the project’s proposed 150-foot setback already exceeds the 60-foot code distance in the “worst case” and that the proposal includes open-space subareas and tree rows that staff said they hope to preserve.

Developer position and next steps: Donald Plank, attorney for the petitioner, told council the property is surrounded by the city and that the owners seek annexation then rezoning; he said the petitioner met with staff and understands concerns and is willing to work through them during the zoning and site-plan process. Council and staff repeatedly emphasized that rezoning to a PUD establishes a concept plan and that specific landscape and access arrangements will be reviewed in detail at later permitting stages.

Questions left open: Council members asked whether a cul-de-sac or T-turnaround could fit without encroaching on buffers, how wide trail easements must be (staff said the typical regional trail easement is 30 feet with a 10-foot trail), and whether doubling plantings is feasible without reducing the property the city hopes to market. Staff cautioned that any large, guaranteed enhancements (for example, “doubling” all plantings) could affect the city’s ability to recoup land-sale revenue and would be worked out in the sale and site-plan stage; they also noted some elements (roadway improvements on a township street) fall under Norwich Township’s jurisdiction.

Council process: This was the first reading of ordinance 25-03 (rezoning to a PUD called the Wolpert Development). Council did not vote on final rezoning; the public hearing and second reading were scheduled for March 10, 2025. City staff and council members asked for a more detailed landscape and access plan before any final action.

Ending: Residents and council members signaled continued engagement; staff said the PUD process will include more detailed landscape plans, trail-location decisions and setback confirmations before final approval.