Background
Since 1995, Dublin’s residents and policy-makers have desired a plan that would control future traffic congestion to the greatest extent feasible, while maintaining appropriate land uses and continued fiscal health. It was recognized that although development patterns outside the city boundary may not always match Dublin’s expectations, surrounding growth will, nevertheless, have a significant impact on the city. The Community Plan process has sought to mitigate these potential impacts. Efforts have included working cooperatively with surrounding jurisdictions to ensure quality development and fiscal health for the area as a whole. As part of the 1997 Community Plan, a significant effort was made to model and analyze growth scenarios for the Dublin planning area. Following an intense multi-year process that considered trends based on adopted plans within the area and multiple development alternatives, a low-intensity scenario was endorsed. Given resulting traffic impacts, a request was made by the Steering Committee, Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council to lower development intensities further while maintaining projected fiscal health.
The 2007 update of the Community Plan was undertaken to account for changing demographic and development trends within the city and the Central Ohio region. Dublin’s residents and policy-makers recognized that in some areas of the city, higher development densities, with a continued focus on high-quality design, could provide additional benefits to the City by concentrating infrastructure and service investments in targeted areas. This targeted growth strategy responds to a growing demand for compact walkable places with additional housing and shopping options, while increasing commercial development opportunities to maintain the City’s fiscal health. The 2007 Future Land Use Map included a series of walkable, mixed use centers and mixed residential neighborhoods, and emphasized high-intensity office and research and development uses along the U.S. 33 corridor.
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