[ back ]
Greater Hilltop Plan Amendment underway
(by Whitney Wilson Coy, Westside Editor - December 09, 2009)
What do you want to see on your Hilltop?
The Greater Hilltop Plan Amendment is currently underway, and it’s your chance to make your wishes known.
The finished plan will be a land use and urban design guideline, used by the Greater Hilltop Area Commission and Columbus City Council when considering new development and zoning variances for the area.
During the second public workshop in the planning process, held Dec. 8, Christine Palmer, a planner with the Columbus Department of Development, gave an update on where it stands.
“It’s important to remember that this is a long term plan. Nothing here is going to happen right away,” she said.
According to surveys that have already taken place, the item at the top of most Hilltopers’ wish lists is improvements to transportation.
“We’re already taking care of that with the mobility plan that’s underway,” she said.
Next in line for residents’ wants is general business development, followed closely by improvements in neighborhood services and code enforcement.
“We can’t really deal with code enforcement, this is about land use,” she added.
Also high on that list were improvements of the appearance of the area in general and development of businesses on West Broad Street in particular. A desire for increased safety in the area was also expressed by those surveyed.
Palmer also presented options for new structures on Broad Street, some modern and some more traditional in style.
She said of those surveyed, the more traditional designs were selected, which they interpreted as a design style that is preferred on the Hilltop.
The areas target for development by the plan are West Broad Street, Sullivant Avenue, Georgesville Road and Westland Mall.
“These are the areas that need the most attention,” she said.
According to Palmer, the Department of Development recommends that the focus areas work to shrink the amount of commercial properties in the area.
“We have a huge commercial footprint,” she said. “We also want to try and shrink the commercial footprint around Great Western.”
Several residents in attendance questioned the sustainability of the plan.
“It doesn’t have the teeth of code enforcement or architectural requirements, but it’s better than what we have in place right now,” Palmer said.
“This is just a guideline. We hope that the commission and council will consider it when they are evaluating development proposals. We can say, ‘This is what the community wants.’” she added.
To make your opinions know and take an online survey, visit http://tinyurl.com/HilltopPlan.
You can also e-mail clpalmer@columbus.gov.
[ back ]
