Columbus passes first zoning code changes in decades: What to know

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- For the first time since the 1950s, Columbus passed changes to its zoning code. The final draft of Zone In -- the city's plan to help address the current housing shortage amid rapid growth -- was approved Monday night by Columbus City Council. “This is what’s going to shape what Columbus [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- For the first time since the 1950s, Columbus passed changes to its zoning code.

The final draft of Zone In -- the city's plan to help address the current housing shortage amid rapid growth -- was approved Monday night by Columbus City Council.

“This is what’s going to shape what Columbus looks like going into the next two generations,” Council President Pro Tem Rob Dorans said.

Changes to the zoning code include the prioritization of towers, the creation of six zoning districts and less of a focus on parking. Additional towers would create more housing, the zoning districts on 12,300 parcels of land would give clearer building guidelines, and a shift away from parking would create more room for development.

“Change is coming to Columbus one way or another, and I think when we talk about how do we put guardrails around that growth, how do we plan for that growth, that is not having a 70-year-old zoning code that operated in which a city that was half the size, right," Dorans said.

Last week, city leaders introduced amendments in response to public feedback, such as protections for historic districts and language focused on sustainability. The historic protections are designed to preserve the city's past, and prioritizing density would reduce the environmental impact that comes with growth.

When will it go into effect?

Zone In will take effect the same way as any other 30-day legislation. Mayor Andrew Ginther is expected to sign it in the coming days. It'll likely go into effect in September, but significant changes could take much longer.

"It's going to be months, if not years, before development responds to what we're passing," Dorans said.

The housing crisis didn't start overnight and it won't be ended overnight, Dorans said. However, he said the six zoning districts will be the first changes implemented come September.

Which streets will be built up?

One of the most significant changes coming from Zone In is a focus on building up, not out. This encourages the construction of higher towers in Columbus, increasing density and creating more room for apartment units. But certain parts of the city will see that growth more than others.

Columbus residents could see buildings near them grow taller over the next few years in parts of High Street, Lane Avenue and Broad Street, Dorans said.

"These are areas that already have some significant density, and these are areas where we think there can be more," Dorans said.

Who will be most impacted by this?

This zoning overhaul is expected to have a broad impact, but Dorans said the people most effected will be those in need of affordable housing.

"Think about a lot of folks, early on in their adulthood, needing to rent an affordable apartment after school, wanting to think about buying their first house," Dorans said. "When we think about who's going to be most affected, it's really a question of, who's being most affected right now."

How long did it take this plan to come together?

Columbus hadn't changed its zoning code in 70 years, until now. In 2022, the city started the conversation about needing to do so, and what that might look like.

After two years of work, the city introduced its first draft of the legislation in April, before entering 3 1/2 months of public feedback. On July 22, one week before it went to a final vote, Zone In went before city council with additional changes.

Why is this necessary?

Millions of new residents are expected to move to Columbus by 2050. Because of this, the city has said 200,000 units need built over the next decade. Ginther previously said the plan allows for 88,000 new homes to be built in the next ten years, whereas only 6,000 would be created under the previous zoning code.

“Growth is coming. We have to embrace it,” Ginther said in April.