Columbus Zone In Gallery Welcomes Public Comment on Zoning Overhaul
A downtown pop-up gallery displays proposed zoning code changes that focus on 12,000 parcels of land around the city.
A pop-up gallery has opened in downtown Columbus filled with displays, maps, and information about proposed changes to the city's zoning code, which has not been updated in more than 70 years. Columbus City Council is expected to vote on the proposal after at least a 60-day comment period for the public, during which time community meetings are also held.
Visitors review proposed zoning code parameters, including building height allowances and density standards, at the Zone In Gallery in downtown Columbus.
Credit: WSYX / Sinclair, Inc. Image source
The 60-day public review window for Phase 2 of the Zone In modernization opened on Aug. 25, 2026, and entered its final five days following an announcement at the Tuesday, Oct. 20 council meeting. Columbus residents have through Saturday, Oct. 24, to submit feedback through the city's online portal or participate at two final in-person interactive sessions downtown. Council Member Melissa Green is scheduled to host a gallery session on Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at 141 N. Front St., where residents can inspect parcel maps and discuss proposed neighborhood changes. Council President Pro Tem Rob Dorans is scheduled to host a final gallery session alongside city planners on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the same location, coinciding with the close of the online comment period.
Phase 2 expands the city's zoning modernization beyond the transit corridors established during Phase 1, updating development standards in surrounding commercial districts and residential neighborhoods. In one corner of the gallery is an interactive map where visitors can see where the parcels are located. To bring more affordable housing to Columbus, the proposed updated zoning code will focus on 12,000 parcels of land around the city, where it is estimated 88,000 new homes could be built within a decade.
Residents and city planning representatives review maps and zoning reform display panels during a public session at the Zone In Gallery on North Front Street in Columbus.
Credit: WSYX / Sinclair, Inc. Image source
Developers would be allowed to add two to four floors to their projects if they agree to make 20% to 30% of the units income-qualified housing. Mayor Andrew Ginther noted that homelessness and evictions are trending upward, stating that regionally the area is not building enough housing for everyone who lives here and everyone who is coming. Donald Payne Jr., who works in real estate, walked the Zone In Gallery inside the North Front Street garage and said it is great for people to comment on this type of thing, describing the overhaul as a first step in bringing more development and affordable housing to a growing city in desperate need of a rebuild.
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A pop-up gallery has opened in downtown Columbus filled with displays, maps, and information about proposed changes to the city's zoning code, which has not been updated in more than 70 years.
Read supporting passage
A pop-up gallery has opened in downtown Columbus filled with displays, maps, and information about a proposed change to the city's zoning codewhich has not been updated in more than 70 years.
Columbus City Council is expected to vote on the proposal after at least a 60-day comment period for the public, during which time community meetings are also held.
Read supporting passage
Council is expected to vote on the proposal after at least a 60-day comment period for the public, during which time community meetings will also be held.
In one corner of the gallery is an interactive map where visitors can see where the parcels are located.
To bring more affordable housing to Columbus, the proposed updated zoning code will focus on 12,000 parcels of land around the city, where it is estimated 88,000 new homes could be built within a decade.
Read supporting passage
To bring more affordable housing to Columbus, the proposed updated zoning code announced by Mayor Andrew Ginther and City Councilmember Rob Dorans last week will focus on 12,000 parcels of land around the city, where it's estimated 88,000 new homes could be built within a decade.
Developers would be allowed to add two to four floors to their projects if they agree to make 20% to 30% of the units income-qualified housing.
Read supporting passage
Developers would be allowed to add two to four floors to their projects if they agree to make 20-30% of the units income-qualified housing.
Mayor Andrew Ginther noted that homelessness and evictions are trending upward, stating that regionally the area is not building enough housing for everyone who lives here and everyone who is coming.
Read supporting passage
"Homelessness and evictions are trending upward," said Ginther, "regionally we are not building enough housing for everyone who lives here and everyone who is coming."
Donald Payne Jr., who works in real estate, walked the Zone In Gallery inside the North Front Street garage and said it is great for people to comment on this type of thing, describing the overhaul as a first step in bringing more development and affordable housing to a growing city in desperate need of a rebuild.
Read supporting passage
"It's great for people to comment on this type of thing," said Donald Payne Jr, as he walked the Zone In Gallery, inside the N. Front Street garage, which is open for visitors to get information, ask questions, and learn about proposed new changes for the city's zoning code.
Donald Payne Jr., who works in real estate, walked the Zone In Gallery inside the North Front Street garage and said it is great for people to comment on this type of thing, describing the overhaul as a first step in bringing more development and affordable housing to a growing city in desperate need of a rebuild.
Read supporting passage
Payne, who works in real estate, says the zone code overhaul is the first step in bringing more development and affordable housing to a growing city in desperate need of a rebuild.