East of Africa Update. City Council Public Hearing on Zoning and Development. Traffic Signal Upgrades at Polaris and Africa.
Roundabout Takes Shape Amid Neighborhood Concerns
Paving crews pushed through the weekend and into Monday to lay the base coat of asphalt on the new streets inside the East of Africa development project. The work brings the network of roads closer to winter readiness as contractors aim to finish the base layer before the end of November.
One of the newly paved legs extends toward Hoff Road, which continues through an established neighborhood before reaching North State Street. Residents raised concerns during the planning phase. They argued that Hoff Road was never built to carry steady traffic from a large development and suggested that the city restrict the new connection to one-way westbound to limit flow toward State Street.
City officials said they heard those complaints. They have not yet released a final decision on how traffic will be routed once the project opens.
The aerial photos show fresh pavement on the roundabout and connecting streets, along with grading work still underway around retention ponds and open parcels. Construction equipment remains staged at several points, a sign that crews plan to keep moving as long as the weather holds.
New Culvert Work Begins at West Edge of Development
Crews spent part of last week preparing concrete foundations for a bridge linking Africa Road to Westar Boulevard on the west side of the East of Africa project. Workers excavated a deep trench and set forms for a large rectangular culvert planned to span Alkyre Run. The stream flows into Alum Creek, which supplies the city with drinking water. The bridge will carry the new connector road over the channel once the culvert is in place and backfilling begins.
Public Hearings to Shape Key Development and Property Rules
City Council on Tuesday will open three public hearings tied to development and property regulations. The sessions cover revisions to a mixed-use plan near Polaris Parkway, a rezoning request on Central College Road, and updates to fencing and landscaping rules. Residents will be invited to offer comments on each proposal before the measures move forward.
Ordinance 2025-29: Mixed-use development plan changes
Council will hold a public hearing on proposed revisions to the preliminary plan for a 37.6-acre mixed-use project along Alum Creek near Polaris Parkway. Residents may comment on building layout, traffic flow, environmental concerns, or any part of the updated design before council considers next steps.
Ordinance 2025-30: Central College Road rezoning
A public hearing is scheduled on the request to rezone 1259 and 1269 Central College Road to Planned Development. The action would also revise parts of the Village at Central College plan. Neighbors can speak about density, building types, street connections, or compatibility with surrounding homes.
Ordinance 2025-31: Code updates on fencing, hedges, and landscaping
Council will also take public comment on proposed code changes that cover fencing standards, hedge placement, landscaping rules, and submittal requirements for future applications. Residents can share concerns or support before the ordinance advances.
Crews Swap Out Traffic Lights at Busy Polaris Intersection
Traffic at Polaris Parkway and Africa Road moved at a crawl Monday while crews installed new signal heads and rewired the intersection. Workers spent the day in bucket trucks mounting updated hardware and pulling fresh cabling. The Ohio State Patrol directed vehicles through the crossing during the outage to keep traffic moving and prevent backups.
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