Housing development in Hilliard booms

The following story was written by a student on the staff of The Jaguar Times as part of Hilliard Bradley High School’s Journalism Production course.

By Maxwell Lowe, Video Editor, and Ava Witt, Staff writer

The City of Hilliard is introducing multiple apartment and housing developments as well as a brand new community center. Many people are affected, from businesses receiving a surplus of new customers to an increasing quantity of traffic. With this development expected to be mostly complete by 2025, citizens are concerned and excited for the future.

Degan Fought (9) is worried, saying, “[the development] is taking away the farmland and it’s affecting the economy by how many houses are going in.” Fought and many others agree that farms are an important aspect of Hilliard.

City of Hilliard Recreation and Parks Director Ed Merritt suggests the development will strengthen the city of Hilliard. He comments that the new community center, “will be a gathering space for the entire Hilliard community… it will also allow us to expand our programming and events tremendously.” Merritt truly believes that all development will benefit the citizens of Hilliard according to a 10tv interview.

Overhead illustration of Hilliard's new recreation and wellness campus. Graphic courtesy of 10tv and the City of Hilliard.

Ms. Adams, a Bradley geometry teacher, thinks differently: “I love that there are more people coming to Hilliard so we can build a bigger community, but the traffic is frustrating sometimes.” With Ms. Adams certainly excited for the future, many citizens can’t help but to be eager as well.

Ms. Fant, a staff member at Bradley, is also looking forward positively, saying, “Real estate wise, I am really happy more families are coming to Hilliard. With the construction it is a little aggravating because it’s bringing delays to previous projects.” Ms. Fant’s feelings seem to be the voice of most Hilliard residents, both excited for a larger community, while also being slightly frustrated with the immense amount of new traffic.

While some are saddened, others are ready to welcome new residents with open arms. Excited or not, Hilliard is becoming a different place than just a couple years ago and will continue to change and prosper for years to come.