COLUMBUS — Columbus officials opened the next phase of Zone In, the city’s sweeping rewrite of its zoning code, on Tuesday, November 10, and asked residents to help shape what comes next. Mayor Andrew J. Ginther was joined by City Council President Shannon Hardin, President Pro Tem and Zoning Committee Chair Rob Dorans, and Jonathan Moody, chief executive officer of the Columbus-based architectural firm Moody Nolan, to announce the new phase, according to a bulletin from the City of Columbus.
In the first phase of Zone In, the city applied newly updated zoning districts to more than 12,000 parcels along key corridors. City officials said that work is now shifting toward expanding economic and housing opportunities for all residents, with the next phase modernizing regulations in areas identified as ideal for mixed-use development, industrial and warehouse operations, and major business and institutional campuses such as hospitals, academic institutions and office parks.
Zoning rules decide what can be built where — how tall a building can rise, whether homes can sit above shops, and what kinds of businesses can open in a neighborhood. Columbus has been overhauling a code that officials have long described as outdated for a fast-growing city, and the corridor work in phase one was the first large test of the new approach.
The city framed the next phase as vital to supporting job growth, building more housing and promoting prosperity citywide. By extending the updated rules beyond corridors and into campus and industrial districts, officials aim to give major employers and institutions clearer, more modern regulations to plan expansions under.
Public input is built into the process. The city is directing residents to columbus.gov/zoningupdate, where they can take a survey, read the program’s “What’s Next” document and find ways to stay informed and get involved as the draft rules take shape.
“Let’s Zone In together to build a zoning code that reflects the community’s current and future needs, values, and aspirations,” the Zone In Columbus team said in the city’s announcement, thanking residents for taking part in what it called a historic effort to create a more connected, accessible and prosperous Columbus.
What happens next is the drafting and public review of the phase-two regulations themselves. Residents who want a say in where mixed-use development, warehouses and campus expansions will be permitted can start with the survey posted on the city’s zoning update page.
Photo: General Ization, CC BY