Developer details 79‑lot 'Clover Meadows' proposal; council schedules second readings amid questions over buffers, stormwater and parkland transfer

Hillary Lafine, planning and entitlements manager for Grand Communities (an affiliate of Fisher Homes), told the Hilliard City Council on May 26 that her firm is seeking rezoning of roughly 79.76 acres for a 79‑home development called Clover Meadows and is not requesting a density bonus. Lafine said the plan includes 70% open space (50% natural area), preservation of wooded areas and wetlands, trail connections and a five‑year maintenance plan for stream improvements.

The council scheduled second‑reading public hearings for Ordinance 2613 (rezoning) and Ordinance 2614 (authorization for the city manager to enter a development agreement) for June 8, 2026. Planning staff told council the proposal met the current 2006 Big Darby Accord requirements and that the Big Darby Accord Advisory Panel and the planning commission recommended approval with conditions.

Why it matters: the proposal sits inside the Hilliard Conservation District and adjoins regional green corridors; the application includes a voluntary stream study and commitments to invasive species control and replanting. The applicant also said City of Columbus Metro Parks has expressed interest in acquiring about 35 acres of the site for permanent public ownership, a possibility developers said could help fund and execute a more extensive stream restoration.

Developer presentation and commitments Hillary Lafine said the plan calls for 79 single‑family lots with a low-density layout that meets the city’s current HCD open‑space rules. Among the site commitments Lafine listed were preserving the Clover Groff Run corridor, providing a 70‑foot setback from wetland areas called out in the application materials, installing additional plantings and fencing near existing residences, removing an asphalt driveway that currently discharges into the stream, and replanting approximately 200 stems per acre (the applicant estimated about 420 trees) as part of a five‑year monitoring and maintenance program.

Engineer John Buchanan (CESO), retained by the applicant, said stormwater will be managed with a basin south of Cloverside Drive sized so that standard storm events (for example, a 2‑inch rainfall in 24 hours) produce post‑development runoff velocities and discharges that are less than pre‑development conditions. "The basin would handle that rainfall event to make sure that the post‑developed runoff velocities and discharges are less than what a pre‑developed event would occur without this site being constructed," Buchanan said.

Metro Parks and the development agreement Tom Hart of Painter & Associates said the development agreement language being proposed would allow the developer to convey about 35 acres, including the stream corridor, to Metro Parks if a transfer proceeded. Hart said Metro Parks would likely be the long‑term steward and the technical lead on any large‑scale stream restoration while the developer would commit to a five‑year maintenance and funding contribution and could provide transitional support.

Outstanding questions and council concerns Council members pressed the applicant on proposed buffers to headwaters. Several council members noted the 2026 draft of the Big Darby Accord contemplates a 300‑foot headwater buffer in some tier‑one areas; the applicant said the site could not accommodate a 300‑foot buffer without losing the project, and that it had only studied a 150‑foot alternative as a potential compromise. The applicant repeatedly stated the plan complies with the 2006 Accord rules in force today but said any new 300‑foot requirement would force a redesign and likely require council or staff flexibility on open‑space calculations.

Council also asked whether a 125‑foot setback referenced in an earlier plan appendix applied to the site; the applicant said houses would be roughly 125 feet from top‑of‑bank but committed to confirm compliance with the relevant code or map before the next hearing. A council member asked where the $2,500 Darby‑area impact fee per residence goes; staff said part is deposited in a Norwich Township fire and EMS account, some may be used for regional improvements described in a developer agreement, and the remainder is not explicitly allocated in code.

Next steps The council set second‑reading public hearings for Ordinance 2613 (rezoning) and Ordinance 2614 (development agreement) for June 8, 2026. Staff cautioned that some development‑agreement details are currently protected from public disclosure by recent state law changes that limit applicant‑identifying information in those documents.

Representative quotes "This development is proposed at 79 home sites," Hillary Lafine said. "This plan also meets the required open space of the Hillyard Conservation District." Tom Hart said the development agreement is intended to "allow the 35 acres, including the stream corridor, to be conveyed" to Metro Parks and that Metro Parks would be the long‑term steward.

The council did not vote on the rezoning at this meeting; the matter returns for the June 8 second reading and public hearing.