More than a year since announcing plans to rezone almost half of the city, Columbus leaders are unveiling the details of the second phase of the city's zoning code overhaul.
Mayor Andrew Ginther and Columbus City Council President Pro Tempore Rob Dorans revealed updated plans for the second phase of "Zone In," the city's years-long initiative to encourage more development by modernizing its 70-year-old zoning code. This phase – which will rezone 41% of the city, or roughly 66,000 parcels – involves creating nine new zoning districts that target mixed-use development, industrial and warehouse operations and business and institutional campuses.
City leaders first proposed this second phase in June 2025, but this step makes clear which parts of Columbus
are slated to be rezoned and for what type of development. Ginther's administration will submit a resolution to formally launch the public comment period for phase two at the Aug. 24 City Council meeting. A 60-day public comment period for residents to voice any concerns they may have with the map will follow.
"These updated districts give employers room to reinvest, expand and adapt while providing clearer expectations for those areas related to surrounding neighborhoods," Ginther said. "Strong businesses and strong neighborhoods should reinforce one another, not compete with one another."
New phase grows Zone In districts to 15 in total
Phase two introduces nine new districts, all with different specifications for principal building height, footprint, upper-story setbacks, vehicular parking setbacks and more. For example, one new district type, "emerging mixed-use," has a 3-story height maximum.
Other new district types include industrial mixed-use, neighborhood activity center, community office and institutional, regional office and institutional, campus, industrial urban, industrial light and industrial heavy.
Dorans told the Dispatch all nine new districts plus the previously established six from phase one will be in use for new development.
Zone In's first phase, which passed in July 2024, rezoned roughly 4% of the city, or about 13,000 parcels. It was targeted at making it easier for developers to build housing in the densest parts of Columbus, laying the groundwork for up to 88,000 new housing units to be built by roughly 2035.
Ginther doubled down on his commitment to eventually rezoning the entire city, which he estimated could happen by 2028.
"We know the last chapter is gonna be hard," Ginther said. "It's gonna be difficult. But we will have built momentum. We will have built trust, and we will have shown the public that we can change without losing."
Public encouraged to provide input on new zoning plan
While the number of housing permits has fallen across the country, Columbus has seen an increase after phase one, especially in the category of multifamily permits, Dorans said.
"We've actually seen national studies now start to demonstrate that this increase in housing construction is actually bringing housing costs down in this city at a time in which almost everything costs more," Dorans said.
The current zoning process traps the City Council and the community into an "old process of red tape and bureaucracy," Dorans said. Establishing a clear and flexible framework can eliminate "project-by-project negotiation," which is what Zone In seeks to do.
Dorans has referenced the currently "messy" system of establishing new developments before, where proposals can go through area commissions multiple times before ever reaching council.
Despite some neighborhoods' resistance to new, speedy development, Dorans said he encourages those skeptics to join the conversation that is shaping this next phase.
"I think the idea here is really to ask folks on the front end to bring their time, their talent, their perspective, to make sure that rather than having a month-long process of back and forth, to say 'Well, let's bake those things in on the front end,'" Dorans said. "Because ultimately, this is gonna come up before council for a vote."
There will be four public hearings on the proposed phase 2 map, and Dorans said he fully expects to make "significant changes" over what people bring to the table.
"If folks are skeptical, I say bring the skepticism," Dorans said. "We want that skepticism."
The first public hearing will be at 6 p.m. Aug. 27 at the Galloway Ridge Intermediate School, 122 Galloway Road, where an overview of the zoning code and map will be provided by representatives.
More information on the zoning overhaul can be found online at the city's Zone In website.
Dispatch Reporter Nora Igelnik can be reached at nigelnik@dispatch.com.
Reporter Emma Wozniak can be reached at ewozniak@dispatch.com or @emma_wozniak_ on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: City leaders detail rezoning 40% of city to boost mixed-use, industrial development
