In our ‘Double Shot’ format we package a fully written story by Kevin Corvo with one of our audio shows.
This week:
We get a better handle on the PR-6 zoning issue at play in Brown Township
We discuss the collapse of the Harlem / Westerville merger committee and how that approach and others might relate to our local issues
We also have a chuckle at the disaster that is the rail crossing on Scioto Darby at Dublin Road, ongoing mediation efforts and the paltry fines against the poor conduct of the rail company
And we discuss the future of passenger rail in Hilliard as prompted by the story below
Hilliard was founded in 1853 as a railroad stop for steam-powered locomotives and was first known as Hilliard’s Station to the several hundred people who then called it home.
Now, more than a century-and-half later, a train of another kind could make Hilliard known to many thousands of commuters throughout the Midwest and southeast United States.
Hilliard commissioned a study by the infrastructure consulting firm AECOM that found Hilliard is feasible for an Amtrak station that could accommodate up to 100,000 arrivals and departures annually, said David Ball, director of community relations for Hilliard.
“Our analysis indicates that either site (in Hilliard) is feasible for the proposed use and that the site should be designed to accommodate up to 100,000 arrivals and departures per year,” AECOM’s study determined.
According to AECOM’s research, there are several “distinct advantages” for situating an Amtrak station at two proposed sites in Hilliard.
They include the fact that the city owns one of the preferred sites for a station, and a portion of the land suggested as a second possible site.
The two sites included in the feasibility study are each located along both sides of the existing CSX line north of Cemetery Road, and just west of I-270.
The first proposed site for a station is on 2.8 acres at 3978 Brown Park Drive, west of the CSX line and east of the U.S. Post Office on Leap Road; the second site is east of the CSX line, behind the Giant Eagle Marketplace shopping center on Britton Parkway.
AECOM estimates the station construction costs on either site would be around $15 to $16 million, including construction and professional services, but a portion of those costs could come from federal and state funds, according to Ball.
The study indicates both sites “are ideally suited for a suburban station that would support the Federal Railroad Administration’s considerations to reintroduce passenger rail service through central Ohio” via sites already owned by Hilliard and adjacent to existing restaurant, hotel, and retail amenities to serve passengers.
The station would be built as a “multi-modal hub” with access to current and future COTA lines.
Further, Hilliard’s Comprehensive Community Plan identifies the Cemetery Road corridor as an important focus area for future redevelopment as a regionally significant mixed-use economic development hub.
The rail station also would be close to other areas that are already seeing significant development and redevelopment, including the I-270 corridor.
“A passenger rail station would be one additional reason Hilliard would be a landmark destination for out-of-town visitors. It would result in visitors dining in our restaurants, staying in our hotels, shopping in our retail stores and doing business with Hilliard's many employers,” Hilliard Development Director David Meadows said.
“A Hilliard-based station also would add to this community's already attractive menu of benefits for existing and prospective businesses. Our modern economy allows for much greater flexibility in terms of remote workforces and businesses that have locations in multiple cities. Passenger rail is an affordable and attractive option for such companies,” Meadows said.
In addition to the Midwest corridor route, Hilliard could be considered as a station location along the 3C+D route also being studied- that route would connect Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati.
“By encouraging equitable transit-oriented developments, a project like a passenger rail station in Hilliard helps ensure affordable transportation options are available and that affordable housing options are maintained and considered in future redevelopment,” Hilliard City Manager Michelle Crandall said.
“We see Hilliard as the ideal location for a first stop outside of the primary downtown Columbus Convention Center station location. The numerous benefits outlined in the AECOM study indicate Hilliard would be a prime site for such a development,” Crandall said.
The federal government’s work to identify and develop corridors for future passenger rail lines represents a long-term commitment between local communities, the Federal Rail Administration and Amtrak, according to Crandall.
“This feasibility study is our city’s first major step toward ensuring we are visible as a highly viable station location and are at the table as future analysis and decisions are made that could offer significant benefits to our community, Central Ohio, Ohio and the nation. The reintroduction of passenger rail being proposed to come through Central Ohio would bring significant benefits to our region, offering a convenient, affordable transportation option for business and leisure travelers, and Hilliard is poised to be a key component in that transformation,” Crandall said.
A Pair of 'Tracks' for you Today