The City of Hilliard Sustainability Plan

Hilliard Sustainability PlanECON. EXECUTIVELAND USE DEV.SOCIAL SUMMARY& URBAN EQ.ECOLOGYand limits individual commercial uses to 5,000 squarefeet. 108 Coweta County, Georgia, limits residential densityto a maximum of eight units per acre and non-residentialdensity to 15,000 square feet per acre in its mixed-usedistrict. 109 Looking at cases like these, and taking intoaccount the specially tailored recommendations providedto them in the Comprehensive Plan, Hilliard should worktowards developing a specific mixed-use zoning district andput it into place in areas where this type of developmentis appropriate and desired. Considering the large scopeof developing a mixed-use district the City would mostlikely hire consultants to assist. Parties responsible: The CityPlanner with final approval from City Council. Cost: $50,000-$100,000 (depending on the scope of the zoning district)and 50-75 staff hours. 110 A mixed-use district will takebetween 1-2 years to develop and implement. 111review process. Developers will know what to build becausethe building types will be stipulated in the form-based code.Implementation of major code changes takes a large amount oftime and effort. However, in the long term, City Council shouldcommission a study to specifically outline what needs to be doneto implement form-based code, at least in parts (if not all) of thecity. Parties responsible: City Council to call for the process to beginand choose a consultant. City planning and engineering stafftime to add input to the process. Cost: Fees charged by an outsideconsultant to study and recommend form-based code changes,as well as city staff time associated with a code change and largeproject undertaking.Recommendation: Create zoning tools and provisions to implementdense, mixed-use, development in the focus areas as dictated by theHilliard Comprehensive Plan.Long Term (5-10 years)» Image 3.7,3.8. Creekside» Experiment with and possibly implement a form-basedcode in some parts or all of Hilliard. (See form-based codesidebar 3.7). Rather than prescribing which uses belongwhere, the form-based code will simplify the development» Source: Nathaniel Kaelin, 2008As stated in the Comprehensive Plan, it is important for Hilliard to initiallyfocus its development in areas close to existing development or moreintensely redevelop existing development. 112 This is crucial to create a citythat is more fiscally and environmentally sustainable since denser, compactdevelopment costs less for the City to service than low-density sprawl. 113Also this type of development permits the preservation of open space andenvironmentally sensitive areas, particularly the Big Darby Creek area, fromencroaching low-density sprawl. 114 The Comprehensive Plan directs initialdevelopment in Hilliard into four identified focus area: Old Hilliard, the RetiredRailroad Corridor, I-270 Corridor, and the Darby Creek Area. 115Hilliard would not be the first suburb in the Columbus region to supportcompact, mixed-used developments. There already is a precedent for thesetypes of projects in the Columbus region. The suburban cities of Gahanna» Integrated into the project is an attractive public park» Ground floor retail are locatedconsistently throughout the project70