Annual State of the City Coverage

Numerous construction projects are underway in Hilliard this year, including the city’s future Hilliard Recreation and Wellness Campus adjacent to Roger A. Reynolds Municipal Park and the privately-developed TruePointe, on Trueman Boulevard.

Hilliard City Manager Michelle Crandall highlighted these and other projects during the 2024 State of the City address March 27 at Center Street Market.

In touting the accolades the city has recently received and crediting those that helped it happen, Crandall said, “Hilliard is being recognized for our vision, innovation and success.”

“They are saying what we already know, that the state of our city is strong and that Hilliard is ‘on the move’,” concluding her address with the three words that served as the title of her address.

Utilizing the city’s historical connection to the railroad, the 2024 State of the City address was illustrated with a train as Crandall outlined numerous examples of projects and achievements that demonstrated Hilliard as ‘on the move.’

In addition to the 105,000-square-foot, $106 million recreation and wellness campus, and the mixed-use TruePointe development, Amazon Web Services continues to grow its local footprint.

AWS is currently building two data centers- one on Scioto Darby Road at the I-270 overpass and another between Cosgray and Leppert roads- after completing its first data center at Britton Parkway and Hayden Run Road.

“In total, AWS has invested more than $1.8 billion in our community and will be adding 200 additional jobs in the coming years,” Crandall said.

It is just one example of the wave of technology-based growth in Hilliard, Crandall said.

“Hilliard’s ability to attract these highly desirable companies to our community is a credit to our growing reputation and business-friendly approach to economic development,” Crandall said.

Other examples of the technology sector growing in Hilliard, Crandall said, include the construction of headquarters of Forsee Power, a battery systems manufacturer founded in France.

Forsee Power is renovating the former Highlights for Children site for use as its headquarters in North America.

“Another exciting way (Hilliard) is leveraging the innovative spirit of existing and start-up tech businesses are through our Hilliard City Lab initiative,” Crandall said.

In the short time it has been in place, various start-ups have made advances in virtual control towers for automated drones, sensors that proactively monitor utilities and infrastructure, and virtual reality applications for healthcare, according to Crandall.

While Crandall touted the accomplishments of Hilliard in the big-tech arena, she did not overlook its continued efforts to showcase its historic downtown and maintain the small-town feel long-time residents enjoy.

Recent grants from the Hilliard Development Corporation helped businesses such as HillGarten, Firefly Winery, and Tidd Funeral Home improve building facades and make the Old Hilliard District even more attractive, Crandall said.

Later this year, the city will make drainage improvements at Main and Center streets, and a new sidewalk will be built on Wayne Street between the parking lot on Madison Street and Hilliard’s Station Park in the Old Hilliard district.

“In 2024, we plan to improve more sidewalks throughout the rest of the Avery subdivision as well as Colonial Lanes, Luxair, and the Conklin neighborhoods,” Crandall said.

Several other projects lie in the more distant future but will improve quality-of-life when finished.

• An $11.5 million project to build a pedestrian-and-bicycle overpass on Cemetery Road, over I-270, will be finished in 2027.

• Two federal grants will fund a majority of it as the city will pay only $1.4 million of its own funds toward it, according to Crandall.

• A four-mile shared-use path, to be built in 2028, will connect from points in Hilliard to the Quarry Trails Metro Park on Dublin Road, south of Hilliard.

The city also showcased the latest “flythrough” footage of ongoing construction and conceptual renderings of The Well.