Objectives & Strategies

Over the last 30 years, Dublin has experienced considerable population and employment growth.As the City continues to mature as a major regional employment center, the need to balance residential character and quality with employment and transportation goals will remain an important objective.

Dublin is characterized by many high quality developments that should be coordinated and strongly linked to provide an overall sense of place. Adopted land use principles must be consistently applied to produce a built environment that is both pedestrian and commuter-friendly. This Plan will serve as a vital tool to provide for orderly growth that is beneficial to the public welfare and provides clear guidance to meet quality of life expectations for the community. The Plan will be used by City officials to guide policy and development decisions and to properly coordinate the allocation of land, open space, public facilities and infrastructure.

A. Use Plan Recommendations… including policies and maps, as a guide to decision-making when reviewing development proposals, including zoning requests, site plan approvals and public projects. Regularly review recommendations to ensure that results are consistent with the expressed goals of the Plan.

B. Consider Land Use Impacts… during the development process to ensure that the fiscal well-being, long-term City maintenance and the quality of transportation and infrastructure networks in Dublin are not adversely impacted by development decisions. Future development should be consistent with the Future Land Use Map to ensure appropriate locations and fiscal soundness of all development.

C. Utilize Area Plans… including associated recommendations and concepts as a preferred guide to coordinate new development, infill and redevelopment consistent with larger design visions as expressed through the Plan as a community-derived document.

D. Develop a State-of-the-Art Code… to address zoning and subdivision regulations in a manner that will facilitate the implementation of Plan objectives. Requirements should be established to achieve policy and design direction within the framework of a clear and predictable development process, while achieving high standards.

E. Utilize the Plan for Detailed Study… of targeted areas of the City, applying basic concepts of the adopted Future Land Use Map and area plans to explore greater design detail and expected requirements for development.

Dublin's strategic location adjacent to I-270, its national reputation for quality residential and employment development, and excellent schools have all facilitated rapid growth that has increased traffic congestion. Balancing the level of development with the capacity of the road system has been a critical issue throughout the planning process. Maintaining acceptable levels of service on Dublin's roads is directly linked to the intensity of development.

Dublin is expected to continue attracting substantial growth with an emphasis on employment. This, in turn, will permit the City to support very high public service levels. Factors critical to addressing traffic issues include: determining acceptable limits for congestion; controlling the quality and pace of development in outlying areas; assuring the quality of the built environment; and maintaining revenues to support high quality services.

A. Maintain Appropriate Development Levels… at or below the projected targets assumed by the adopted Future Land Use Map. Specific development proposals should include comparable maximum land use intensities as modeled in the Plan. Decisions to vary from adopted policies should be considered within the context of the larger area.

Dublin is known as a well-managed community and enjoys a high quality of services within an attractive natural setting. The City recognizes that as part of a much larger system, external circumstances and development have an effect on conditions within the municipality. Under the Municipal Service Agreement with the City of Columbus, Dublin has the exclusive right to extend sewer and water services to certain areas. These are located to the northwest and southwest. Refer to the Chapter 9 – Infrastructure for more information on this issue.

Municipal services provide a strong incentive for land owners to pursue annexation. However, the Dublin-Columbus agreement did not anticipate that another municipality would provide utilities for any portion of the negotiated service area. The City of Marysville, however, has brought sewer service from Marysville along Industrial Parkway, near Dublin and within the negotiated area. Marysville is expected to extend water service east of U.S. 33 in the immediate future. The management of development within this area will be outside Dublin's control if utilities are available from another provider. Control of the quality and intensity of development in the southwest and northwest areas is critical. However, the City has yet to fully explore potential options to address issues on Dublin's periphery.

A. Engage Neighboring Jurisdictions and Regional Entities… to periodically monitor and cooperatively manage growth through a range of mechanisms (e.g. City boundaries, land capacity, and population projections).

B. Coordinate with Surrounding Jurisdictions… and use this Plan to influence the quality and intensity of development, and address smaller-scale planning projects and issues.

C. Strategically Preserve Rural Character… and promote development standards along the western portion of the City both within and outside Dublin's borders.

D. Continue to Work with the Metro Parks District… to site regional parks and recreational opportunities in the vicinity of the City.

E. Incorporate Remaining Exclusive Service Areas… within the City to provide for orderly growth, protect the public health and welfare, maintain and protect the quality of life and to expand the area benefiting from Dublin's high quality services.

F. Annex Township Islands… that are surrounded by City lands to provide consistent services and identity for residents living in these areas.

G. Manage Development Quality and Intensity… along Dublin's edge by applying recommended land uses as depicted on the Future Land Use Map and associated development levels as set forth by the adopted land use definitions.

H. Work Cooperatively with Other Jurisdictions… to achieve acceptable land uses and development intensities that will maintain expected levels of service while coordinating with other developments.

I. Consider Service Provision Options… to facilitate greater management and control over the quality, intensity and aesthetic design of land uses within Dublin's negotiated service area.

With few exceptions, the City's land use is distinguished by large scale, single-use, geographically segregated developments. To provide an alternative development choice, mixed use areas that more fully integrate uses and activities will be important. These areas should be thought of as "places" rather than "developments" and should be distinctive in their identity. The form, character and mix of uses should create vitality and facilitate opportunities to walk and bike within these places. Form and architecture should be flexible to allow uses to change over time without detracting from the quality of the area.

A. Facilitate a Mixed Use Development… in a targeted location to serve as a future planning model for the City.

B. Develop Applicable Regulations… that will successfully permit the integration of a range of uses by requiring or encouraging mixed use development with densities that support pedestrian mobility.

C. Identify Appropriate Locations… for locally-serving retail that can be integrated with surrounding neighborhoods.