Linden & Hilltop Neighborhood Market Study Updates

Linden and Hilltop are historic Columbus neighborhoods that have experienced decades of disinvestment, even as population growth and development have accelerated across the broader city. Development Strategies previously completed market analyses that helped inform the One Linden Neighborhood Plan and Envision Hilltop Plan. Several years after the plans were adopted, and following the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Columbus engaged Development Strategies to reassess changing housing and commercial conditions in both communities.

Working with the City’s Department of Neighborhoods and the Neighborhood Design Center, Development Strategies analyzed demographic, housing, and retail trends and considered findings alongside resident and stakeholder input. The work documented increasing affordability pressures, persistent residential and commercial vacancy, aging properties, and unmet demand for neighborhood-serving businesses.

The resulting strategies were tailored to the distinct market conditions and priorities of each neighborhood. Recommendations for Linden emphasized mixed-income housing, more flexible support for locally owned businesses, and retail niches that could serve residents while encouraging visitation. In Hilltop, strategies focused on supporting lower-income homeowners, reinvesting in historic housing and commercial properties, strengthening small-business nodes, improving key corridors, and attracting needed retailers to competitive locations. Together, the studies provided an updated, market-informed foundation for continued implementation of the two community plans.