The City of Hilliard Sustainability Plan

Hilliard Sustainability PlanEDSE Opportunity AssesmentEconomic development and social equity are critically importantaspects of a community’s sustainability. Integrating these issues intothe planning process allows Hilliard to analyze the long-term ramificationsof its current practices. Economic data can be used to createa model that will provide for long-term fiscal health and promotean equitable environment for current and future residents. This approachto sustainability has been likened to a three-legged stool. Thethree legs—environment, social equity, and economy—must balancein order for the stool to stand and the community to build policies forlong-term health. A failure by local government to consider one ofthese factors would make for an unbalanced stool. 11Presently, Hilliard is a proud community with extensive opportunitiesfor young families and small businesses. Its strong school system attractsyoung families and fueled a residential building boom in the 1990s andearly 2000s in and around the city of Hilliard. While this boom has beenpositive in terms of overall population growth, there is concern by cityleaders that it has created a relatively homogeneous community comparedto the larger metropolitan area, with few offerings for younger Central Ohioresidents, residents with limited income, or elderly residents with differingneeds. Spurred by regional discussions of lifelong communities, Hilliard’sCity Council and Mayor have expressed an interest in moving from thisuniform demographic toward a more equitable lifelong community. Byretaining young people and allowing older residents to age in place, Hilliardwill achieve its goal of becoming a more equitable community.Hilliard currently boasts a diverse collection of small and large businesses.Among these are large and small office employers, industrial uses,warehousing, service jobs, and number of other sectors. 12 This diversityis a strength and should be a continued focus of their sustainableeconomic development model. The following outlines opportunitieswithin the City relating specifically to sustainable economicdevelopment and social equity.» Figure 3: U.S. Census Bureau. (2010, March 1). 2010 SF1 100% Data: Various Geographies RetrievedMarch, 2012, from http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/.Fig 3ECON. EXECUTIVE DEV.SOCIAL SUMMARY EQ.91