A 275-acre housing development near Alton Darby Creek Road heads to the Big Darby Accord Advisory Panel on Tuesday, Oct. 13. A 374-unit subdivision is also on the agenda for its first "review for action" after two conceptual reviews.
The panel will hold a conceptual review of Renner Park West, a proposal by Harmony Development LLC to rezone 275.9 acres northwest of Alton Darby Creek Road and Walker Road, south of Roberts Road. The site falls within Hilliard's Big Darby Focus Area. The anticipated zoning is PUD-8 (Planned Unit Development), according to the panel's agenda. No unit count, density figures or site plan appeared in the agenda.
The Columbus Dispatch reported Oct. 5 that the proposal includes more than 1,400 residential units. That figure does not appear in the panel's agenda.
Harmony Development already built the existing Renner Park community off Alton Darby Creek Road, where homes in the Hilliard City School District start in the $400,000s.
Bolton Fields nears action
Also on the agenda is Bolton Fields, a proposed 374-unit single-family subdivision on 132.3 acres at 3030 Norton Road. The panel will take up the project as a "review for action," a step beyond the two conceptual reviews held Aug. 18 and Sept. 8.
At the Sept. 8 meeting, staff reported that 198 of the proposed units fall within the Big Darby Watershed boundary at a density of 1.93 units per acre. Open space within the watershed portion was 68%, exceeding the 50% minimum in the draft Accord amendment. Staff also flagged that roadways and stormwater detention were shown inside conservation areas and recommended they be relocated.
Neighboring property owner Tom Hanes of 5051 Johnson Road spoke against the project at the Sept. 8 meeting. Hanes argued that the proposal would not preserve, protect or improve the Big Darby Watershed and Hellbranch Run, according to draft meeting minutes.
Attorney Michael A. Huber of Dinsmore & Shohl LLP, representing the Bolton Fields applicant, said at the Aug. 18 hearing that the project was not requesting any density bonus beyond the land-use recommendation in the original 2006 plan.
Sewer capacity and the paused amendment
Both proposals arrive as sewer capacity in Hilliard's Big Darby service area has shifted. The city's original limit of 2,000 equivalent residential units (ERUs) was met based on development approved between 2008 and 2021, according to the Hilliard Community Plan. But Columbus confirmed an additional 1,331 ERUs were available within Hilliard's portion of the watershed in February 2025, according to a Hilliard City Council ordinance adopted earlier this year.
The broader regulatory picture remains unsettled. Columbus Deputy Director of Regional Growth Strategies Bryan M. Clark notified Accord partners in an April 27 email that the city was pausing the Big Darby Accord Amendment process. Clark stated Columbus was directing staff to apply the stronger draft amendment standards on an interim basis while the pause continued.
The advisory panel's opinions are non-binding. The ten jurisdictions that adopted the original 2006 Accord, including Hilliard, retain final authority over land-use decisions within their boundaries.
The meeting begins at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, in the Commissioners Hearing Room at the Michael J. Dorrian Building, 369 S. High St., Columbus. The panel's next scheduled meeting is Nov. 10.
