Hilltop police substation breaks ground on Sullivant Avenue

City leaders have broken ground on a new Columbus Division of Police substation in the Hilltop neighborhood, a two-story facility on Sullivant Avenue scheduled to open in November 2026.

A city news release says the state-of-the-art substation, serving 8 Precinct, will be built at 1860 Sullivant Ave. and span approximately 13,500 square feet. Mayor Andrew J. Ginther and other officials attended the construction start, framing the project as part of broader investments in public safety infrastructure and neighborhood stabilization.

The Hilltop substation is one of several police facilities the city has advanced in recent years, including construction of an Easton police substation detailed in a prior capital budget proposal. Both projects are linked in city materials to a multi-year capital program that funds police and fire stations, sidewalks, parks and other infrastructure across Columbus without raising taxes, supported by a $1.9 billion bond package introduced to Council.

According to the release, the Hilltop facility is expected to provide modern workspace for officers assigned to 8 Precinct and improve response capabilities along Sullivant Avenue and surrounding streets. While the city’s summary does not list every feature, it describes the building as “state-of-the-art,” aligning it with other recent public safety investments prioritizing updated technology and community access.

The substation’s location on Sullivant Avenue connects it to ongoing city initiatives focused on that corridor. In a separate announcement, the Clean and Safe Corridor initiative reported a two-week activation in the Hilltop neighborhood aimed at addressing resident concerns along Sullivant Avenue, including safety, cleanliness and economic conditions. The initiative deploys targeted city services to specific commercial corridors, with Hilltop identified as one of the focus areas.

City leaders have also highlighted summer safety strategies and youth programming as part of their approach in neighborhoods like Hilltop, including more than $28 million in youth programming funding announced for Columbus residents. Those investments are designed to operate alongside physical infrastructure projects such as the new substation.

The Hilltop substation timeline in public materials is limited to the projected opening month of November 2026, and the release does not include a detailed construction schedule or budget line for the facility itself apart from its connection to broader capital planning. The city has not yet published any separate community engagement report specific to the substation site, and the news release does not reference formal neighborhood feedback processes.

Officials say the project is part of a long-term effort to modernize public safety facilities citywide, but they stop short of tying the Hilltop substation to specific projected crime or response-time metrics in the available documentation.