Some Clintonville area residents are pushing back on the city of Columbus' proposed rezoning of a portion of the Walhalla Ravine, and at least one city councilmember says they're likely to get their way.
Columbus City Council recently unveiled a proposed map for the second phase of Zone In, the city's years-long initiative to encourage development by modernizing its 70-year-old zoning code. The first phase, which passed in July 2024, rezoned roughly 4% of the city, and this second phase targets an additional 41%. That includes three parcels at the mouth of the Walhalla Ravine, a stretch of woodland that runs from North High Street to Indianola Avenue in Clintonville.
Parcels within the ravine, many occupied by single-family homes nestled among
the trees, are currently zoned Restricted Rural Residential (RRR). This highly restrictive designation essentially limits development to one single-family dwelling per large lot.
But under City Council's proposed Zone In phase two map, three of those parcels – 485 Walhalla Road, 486 Walhalla Road and 3199 Indianola Avenue – would be rezoned Emerging Mixed-Use (EMX). That would allow for detached buildings up to three stories with a five-foot minimum front setback.
Some neighbors, including roughly 100 Clintonville residents whom Council President Pro Tempore Rob Dorans said he's heard from directly, are raising alarms about the proposal. They say a mixed-use zoning code would allow for the development of multi-level apartment buildings that could abut the tree-lined Walhalla Road, a popular corridor for residents and visitors walking, wildlife-watching or otherwise enjoying the ravine's natural setting.
"Walhalla is essentially a park that's privately owned," Walhalla Ravine resident Cindy Decker said. "The city owns the road, the property-owners own the land, and we are fighting to keep it a park. We love that people come down here and watch birds and animals and all that good stuff, but it's a challenge to make sure we keep it that way."
Decker, also a member of the Walhalla Ravine Association and one of many behind the grassroots effort to stop the area's rezoning, said she expects the ravine's turn will come during Zone In's third phase, "which is going to be a whole different fight." For now, though, she and other neighbors leading the "Save Walhalla" campaign are concentrating their efforts on keeping the three parcels in question out of phase two.
Their efforts are likely to be fruitful. Dorans, also Council's zoning chair, said he's heard more about these three parcels than any others involved in Zone In thus far, and he's supportive of removing them from the phase two map.
"It's been fairly loud and clear that folks within that area are concerned around how these zoning districts would apply to what they believe is a very unique area within their neighborhood, and I think that's a very fair concern," Dorans said. "I agree with them that there are a number of areas across Columbus, and certainly this ravine is one of them, where we have what is a very important natural area of the city, and the question remains, 'How do we approach those areas in a way that is needing to update the land use but is really sensitive regarding what those updates would be?'"
Rezoning does not guarantee redevelopment. For example, a homeowner would still need to sell their property before a developer could pursue a project like an apartment building.
Dorans emphasized that the city's 60-day comment period on its Zone In phase two map is still underway, and revisions are expected this fall. He said he anticipates changes to the three Walhalla Ravine-area parcels, to better account for the natural area and to send a message to the community that Council is listening to feedback as the zoning overhaul moves forward.
When asked how the ravine could eventually be rezoned in a way that addresses residents' preservation concerns, Dorans pointed to measures like stream corridor protection zones or lot coverage limits. He said those are among the tools City Council could consider in the future, while noting that the city may need to develop additional zoning districts to address the unique circumstances of the ravine and other natural environments within Columbus.
"There's not Walhalla Ravines on every block across Columbus," Dorans said. "While we have lots of important and unique neighborhoods, from an environmental standpoint, we do just need to be really thoughtful about these places that are really special to the city and the neighborhoods that they're in."
Decker credited the city for being receptive to residents' concerns and recognizing Walhalla as "a gem that deserves protection."
Reporter Emma Wozniak can be reached at ewozniak@dispatch.com or @emma_wozniak_ on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: City Council may spare Clintonville's Walhalla Ravine from rezoning – for now
