In fall 2022, the zoning committee of the commission — which recommends proposals and variances for new developments to Columbus City Council — started a document listing what it wants to see the city prioritize throughout the zoning code process. Credit: AJ Hymiller | Lantern Reporter
A zoning code is a set of rules that decide what actions can be taken on specific properties, according to the city — and Columbus’ is outdated.
The University Area Commission agrees, and as Columbus looks to revamp the code for the first time in 70 years, UAC is putting its experience into the conversation. The document will encourage affordable housing, the preservation of University District structures and consider the rise of short-term rental prices.
In fall 2022 the zoning committee of the commission — which recommends proposals and variances for new developments to Columbus City Council — started drafting a document listing what it wants to see the city prioritize throughout this process. The committee presented this document to the full commission Feb. 5.
“We wanted to point some things out to the city to make sure that they don’t forget things. For instance, much of our white paper centers around increasing and maintaining low-income housing rentals, specifically in the university area because we have obviously so many students,” UAC Community Relations Chair Commissioner Michael Kehlmeier said.
Northsteppe Realty — a company that has provided living in Columbus for the community and students for at least 30 years — has current listings in the University District that range from $649 rent per month for a one bedroom, one bath apartment to a house with 10 bedrooms and four bathrooms for $6,000 per month.
Kehlmeier said the group has been planning to list its recommendations since the city proposed the zoning code’s revamp in 2021.
“We also want to encourage the city to preserve older buildings, particularly historic buildings or housing,” Kehlmeier said. “Instead of knocking everything down, try to preserve that housing and try to reuse it.”
The group can now put the draft out for the community to see and are considering sharing its proposal at a City Council meeting.
Some in the community have recently been focused on the commission and its zoning cases since they involved housing to replace two popular bars in the University District: The Little Bar and the Bier Stube. While the commission declined the variances requested for the first development, the second will be recommended to the city council by the commission.
According to the City of Columbus’ website dedicated to the new code, the city is currently in the process of refining geographic areas to focus on and creating code elements for areas that have developments with many uses before releasing a draft later this year for the community to review.
Part of this process includes community input, and since the commission hears many zoning cases and community member recommendations, the commission wants to be involved.
“Zoning directly impacts how we live and our future. Zoning will shape how our city is built around us and how it evolves. We will have the burden of a massive population growth in our future,” Planning Commission Chair Katie McDevitt said. “Passing the vote for the University Area Commissions’ recommendations for new zoning felt like a glimmer of hope. We won’t just send it off — we’ll stay vigilant and informed and protect our community.”
Kehlmeier said there are also specific changes they would like to see made from experience dealing with the code in the zoning committee.
“For all rezoning projects, we notify residents within 125 feet of a project — we would like to increase that to 300 feet,” Kehlmeier said. “But in order to do that we need the city’s OK because it’s in the city zoning regulations.”
The document also includes a list of questions the commission wants the city to answer about the changes, attention to green spaces and a focus on a diverse range of housing options.
Columbus’ goals for the zoning code project, according to its website, include reflecting the community’s current needs, supporting growth with environmental and economic sustainability and ensuring the new language is fair and accessible.
McDevitt said she hopes the commission’s recommendations will come through during this project as representatives of the University District.
“The most important part of the UAC’s zoning code recommendations is that the University Area Commission stands for equity,” McDevitt said. “We stand for, see and are part of the community.”
