A visualization of the proposed 16-story high-rise building at 2160 N. High St. Credit: Courtesy of Erin Prosser
A shadow may soon be cast across Ohio State’s North Campus.
Landmark Properties, a Georgia-based developer, submitted plans for a new 16-story high-rise building at 2160 N. High St. to the University Impact District Review Board Feb. 28. The proposed structure would include approximately 64 parking spaces, a retail space on the first floor and residential units, according to the plan submitted to the UIDRB.
The property currently houses a CVS Pharmacy, and the proposed plan includes the pharmacy on the ground level. The new project is an outcome of the City of Columbus’ updated zoning laws, which took effect in July 2024 and signify the first major revisions to the zoning code in 70 years, according to Zone In Columbus.
The new zoning code permits taller buildings in the “urban core,” which includes areas like Lane Avenue and High Street in the University District, according to Zone In Columbus. These changes pave the way for an influx of high-density developments — like Landmark Properties’ proposal — that aim to address long-standing housing challenges in the University District.
Erin Prosser, deputy director of housing strategies for the City of Columbus, emphasized the impact of these zoning updates on housing availability and affordability.
“The University District has faced a housing crisis for the last 50 years,” Prosser said. “It has always been a dense area with high demand, which has kept rents high and, in some cases, impacted housing quality. The zoning changes allow for greater density along High Street, alleviating pressure on surrounding neighborhoods by increasing the supply of housing.”
By allowing developers to build upward rather than outward, Prosser said the new zoning code helps preserve existing structures while accommodating population growth.
Prosser said previous proposals for the 2160 N. High St. site required demolishing nearby buildings, which is why they were not approved. Landmark Properties’ proposal, however, does not call for the tearing down of any other structures.
The Zone In Columbus initiative played a crucial role in modernizing the city’s zoning laws to reflect contemporary housing needs, Prosser said. She said under old zoning laws, the city could have only added 6,000 new housing units along designated city corridors. With the new zoning changes, that number has increased to 88,000, significantly boosting housing capacity in transit-accessible areas.
“Columbus is growing, and we must decide whether we build up or out,” Prosser said. “Sprawling outward leads to increased traffic, loss of farmland and environmental consequences. By concentrating density along key corridors, we can maintain affordability, improve transit efficiency and reduce urban sprawl.”
The zoning updates also include incentives for developers to incorporate affordable housing. For instance, projects like Landmark’s can qualify for additional height allowances of up to 16 stories if at least 20% of the units are designated as affordable housing, Prosser said.
Carlie Boos, executive director of the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio, spoke about the complexities of defining and achieving affordability in housing.
“There is no universal definition of affordable housing,” Boos said. “When I talk about it, it’s always a very, very personal definition. Your home is affordable to you if it costs no more than a third of your income. So, we’ve got 500,000 families in Franklin County. That’s 500,000 different unique definitions of affordable housing.”
Boos said zoning policies directly impact affordability, largely by influencing the balance of housing supply and demand.
“When you have more people who need housing than you have housing, it’s going to drive up prices; it’s just Economics 101,” Boos said. “If a zoning code is inelastic, it means that as your community changes, your housing doesn’t. A zoning code that is more flexible, or even one that is updated routinely, accommodates these landscape changes.”
Boos said Columbus’ old zoning code, developed in the 1950s, prioritized suburbanization, or the expansion of housing beyond the city, and pre-Civil Rights era segregation — trends that are no longer reflective of modern housing needs.
“As these things are gradually being revised and modernized, we’re losing that baggage,” Boos said. “We’re coming to a place where our zoning laws are much more balanced with what people need, and they are designed to put affordability at the center.”
Public opinion on zoning has also shifted, Boos said, as there is growing support for diverse housing options that provide more flexibility for residents.
“What we saw was really strong support for missing middle housing — things like duplexes and triplexes — not necessarily large apartment buildings, but also not just single-family homes,” Boos said. “People want the kind of housing they see in places like German Village and Italian Village, but zoning laws have prohibited it.”
Though Landmark Properties’ proposal aligns with the new zoning regulations, it must still undergo design review by the UIDRB to ensure it meets aesthetic and community standards. At the time of publication, there is no confirmed date by which an official UIDRB decision will be issued.
