Homestead Metro Park in Hilliard, Ohio, is set for a dramatic expansion, with 333 acres of conservation land being added to the 43-acre park, according to the City of Hilliard and Columbus & Franklin County Metro Parks.
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acres → set → Hilliard
Columbus Business First also reported on the land transfer, which involves the city and homebuilder M/I Homes.
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which → report → city
Once the new land is incorporated, Homestead will cover about 376 acres, making it roughly 8.7 times its former size.
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it → incorporate → acres
Metro Parks already lists the expanded park at 376 acres, including the additional 333 acres.
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Parks → list → acres
The land stretches into the Big Darby Creek watershed and is expected to include protected natural areas, wetlands, prairie habitat and trails.
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land → stretch → areas
Metro Parks said the new acreage will take time to develop, with public access expanding as the landscape is restored and trail connections are completed.
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connections → say → time
Where the 333 acres are coming from
The expansion is not simply a single parcel changing hands.
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expansion → come → hands
According to the City of Hilliard, two conservation parcels are already owned by the city and are being transferred to Metro Parks, while additional conservation land within M/I Homes’ Hill Farm and Hill Farm II developments will be transferred directly by the homebuilder.
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land → accord → homebuilder
One of the city-owned parcels covers about 46.6 acres along Elliott Road.
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One → own → Road
Hilliard will retain about 2.2 acres of the Barbeau Lane property for the Orangeberry Water Tower and potential future infrastructure.
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Hilliard → retain → Tower
The conservation land was set aside as part of development requirements in the area.
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land → set → area
The larger transfer also includes land containing the headwaters of Clover Groff Run, adding protected acreage around an important part of the watershed.
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transfer → include → watershed
Hilliard’s approach to development in the Big Darby area requires a substantial portion of residential development to remain open space.
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approach → require → development
The city says its current rules require 70% of residential development in the area to be preserved as open space, compared with the 50% baseline under the regional Big Darby Accord framework.
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% → say → framework
New trails and natural habitats planned
The expansion is intended to do more than increase the size of the park on a map.
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expansion → plan → map
Metro Parks plans to create new trail connections while restoring portions of the land to prairie and wetland habitat.
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Parks → plan → habitat
The new acreage will connect with existing trails around Homestead, including the Heritage Rail Trail.
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acreage → connect → Trail
The plans include extending a trail west through the Hill Farm development toward Scioto Darby Creek Road, creating additional connections through the expanding greenbelt.
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plans → include → greenbelt
Metro Parks will also take over management of portions of the Heritage Trail and connecting trails under the agreement with Hilliard.
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Parks → take → Hilliard
The agency already manages the section of the Heritage Trail north of Hayden Run Road.
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agency → manage → Road
The expansion comes as Metro Parks reaches another milestone in the region.
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Parks → come → region
The agency said the addition will take its protected land in the Darby watershed beyond 10,000 acres.
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addition → say → acres
When will the expanded park open?
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park → expand → ?
The land transfer still requires final municipal approval.
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transfer → require → approval
Hilliard City Council introduced the authorization on September 14, with a second reading and public hearing scheduled before a final vote.
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Council → introduce → vote
The next regular council meeting is scheduled for September 28.
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meeting → schedule → September
The Barbeau Lane parcel is expected to be transferred by the end of 2026.
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parcel → expect → 2026
However, the newly acquired acreage will not immediately function like the existing park.
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acreage → acquire → park
Metro Parks has said the landscape will take several years to develop, restore and connect with trails before the full expansion is available for visitors.
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expansion → say → visitors
For now, the existing Homestead Metro Park at 4675 Cosgray Road continues to offer its established amenities, including a covered bridge, train station replica, two barns, a 2.5-acre fishing pond and a trail connecting with the 6.1-mile Heritage Rail Trail.
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Park → exist → Trail
With the 333-acre addition, however, Homestead is set to become a substantially larger part of Hilliard’s growing network of protected green space, linking conservation land, trails and natural habitat across the Big Darby watershed.
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Homestead → set → watershed
The Aporia
