Blueprint Columbus presents 60% design for Clintonville 3; residents press for maintenance, data and timelines

Columbus city staff and consultants presented the 60% design for the Blueprint Columbus Clintonville 3 neighborhood project at a public meeting Thursday at North Broadway United Methodist Church, outlining planned green infrastructure, sanitary lateral lining and a continued sump‑pump installation program while fielding residents’ concerns about maintenance, data and construction impacts.

The meeting, led by outreach communications specialist Cameron Kier and city project manager Jihan Al Kheri, described project changes since the 30% design: the Walhalla Ravine restoration reduced the number of required rain gardens in several subareas; roof‑water redirection was suspended for this area; bump‑outs and permeable pavers will not be used in Clintonville 3; and limited “gray” storm‑sewer upgrades were added in specific locations. City staff said sump‑pump installations began in 2022 and will continue through 2026, green‑infrastructure construction is scheduled to start in 2026, and lateral‑lining work is planned to begin in 2026 and continue through 2029.

Why it matters: Blueprint Columbus was launched after a consent order from the Ohio EPA requiring the city to reduce sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs). The Clintonville 3 work aims to reduce basement backups for residents, cut pollutant loads delivered to the Olentangy River and avoid larger gray‑infrastructure tunneling by using neighborhood‑scale rain gardens, lateral lining and other measures.

Key details and timeline City staff said the Clintonville 3 project area spans parts of Clintonville and adjacent neighborhoods and covers roughly 18,000 acres of project zones across multiple subareas. The city presented a four‑pillar approach for neighborhoods: sanitary lateral lining, sump pumps, green infrastructure (rain gardens, bioretention basins and permeable pavement where used), and in some locations limited roof‑water redirection and targeted storm‑sewer upgrades.

Jihan Al Kheri, the city project manager for Clintonville 3, reviewed changes from the 30% plan: the Doris Weber area was removed from the green‑infrastructure scope but will still receive lateral lining and sump‑pump work; roof redirection was suspended for this project area after analysis showed negligible impact; the team eliminated planned bump‑outs and permeable pavers in Clintonville 3; and the design now includes gray‑infrastructure storm‑sewer upgrades in select corridors to address localized flooding.

Construction timing given at the meeting: - Sump pump installations: started in 2022, continuing through 2026; installations are scheduled from a wait list and are first‑come, first‑served. Residents sign up via the project QR code or blueprintneighborhoods.com. - Green infrastructure (rain gardens, bioretention): construction proposed to begin in 2026. Exact locations remain subject to change between 60% and 90% design. - Sanitary lateral lining (installing a new pipe inside existing laterals): expected to start in 2026 and continue through 2029. - Limited storm‑sewer (gray) upgrades: scheduled where modeling and resident feedback identified recurring flooding.

Design and construction specifics City engineers explained the lateral‑lining process: crews televise (camera inspect) and clean laterals from the nearest manhole, then install an internal liner that cures in place — a process intended to be completed in less than a day for a given lateral when conditions allow. Kier said crews will “televise and clean as much as they can and endeavor to line as much of the lateral as possible” when obstructions exist.

Rain gardens and bioretention basins are being designed primarily behind curbs or on city right of way to limit disturbance to private yards. Staff said typical excavation reaches about 4 feet, with a maximum visible drop of about 18 inches from sidewalk to garden once finished. The design team emphasized they will try to avoid tree removals and minimize parking loss; planners removed bump‑outs from the Clintonville 3 plan after resident feedback.

Walhalla Ravine restoration and its effect on the neighborhood plan Rachel Malaney, Stantec project manager for the Walhalla (Walhalla) Ravine restoration, described the related stream‑stabilization project between Clinton Heights and Longview Avenue. The restoration includes bank stabilization and invasive‑species removal; staff told residents that stabilizing the ravine reduces the number of rain gardens required to meet the same water‑quality goals. Malaney said the restoration design is complete but cannot proceed until the city obtains property access agreements (easements) from affected landowners and completes required environmental permitting with the Ohio EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Maintenance, effectiveness and resident concerns A large portion of the meeting was a public Q&A in which residents pressed staff on maintenance shortfalls, the scientific effectiveness of rain gardens, and construction impacts. Staff acknowledged recent maintenance problems: native plants installed earlier suffered during an extreme heat spell and a maintenance contract was canceled during the procurement process, leaving a temporary gap in care. Kathy Spatz, who oversees green‑infrastructure maintenance for the city, told the meeting the city is adding multiple contractors and process improvements aimed at monthly maintenance intervals for basins.

Residents asked for data on pollutant removal and overflow reductions. Staff said Ohio State University has evaluated rain‑garden performance in other Blueprint project areas, and those studies and SSO data for earlier Clintonville phases will be posted to blueprintneighborhoods.com. For the Clintonville 3 area specifically, staff said monitoring and modeling are ongoing and that some comparative data are not yet available because construction and monitoring have not yet occurred there.

Lead service‑line identification and replacement Staff explained an additional program to identify and replace private‑side water service materials. Households that received a door tag were asked to report the material of the first piece of pipe inside the house (near the meter). The city said it has not yet identified private‑side lead in this project area but that where lead service lines exist they will be replaced at no additional charge under the federal replacement program; residents with questions were directed to project staff present at the meeting.

Next steps and resident participation City staff said 60% designs will be revised based on tonight’s feedback and that the team will return for 90% design outreach, a final design and a preconstruction meeting before any construction begins. Engineers are available after the presentation for property‑level questions. Staff also reminded residents that marked basin locations may change between 60% and final design and that final locations will be re‑marked and communicated.

Quotes from the meeting "The Blueprint Columbus program was created to prevent sanitary sewer overflows," said Cameron Kier, the outreach communications specialist, describing the program’s origin after an Ohio EPA consent order.

"We are now in the home stretch of adding contractors to that street," Kathy Spatz said, describing new maintenance staffing and efforts to address plant mortality and weed control.

Ending Staff urged residents to use 311 or blueprintneighborhoods.com for maintenance requests, to sign work orders if they permit invasive‑species removal on private property for the Walhalla restoration, and to attend a future preconstruction meeting where contractors and inspectors will answer construction‑specific questions. Engineers collected notes during the meeting and will incorporate resident feedback into the 90% design.