Columbus' Zone In team says it will keep working through the summer as staff finalizes maps and steps up community outreach ahead of a formal public comment period later this year. The Department of Development is refining proposed zoning districts and a Phase Two zoning map while continuing neighborhood meetings and briefings across the city. The update lands as city leaders push to overhaul a zoning code that has not had a full rewrite in roughly 70 years.
City Update And Outreach Numbers
The Department of Development posted an update on June 9 saying Zone In staff have attended nearly 90 meetings or events and connected with more than 1,400 residents, stakeholders, and community leaders while they refine proposed districts and the Phase Two map. The post noted that the team is advancing Phase Two work and that a formal public comment period will be announced later this year. Those details were shared in the department's social post; read the update on the Department of Development.
What Zone In Seeks To Do
Zone In is a multi-phase effort to modernize Columbus' roughly 70-year-old zoning code and reorganize how the city regulates building types, heights, and parking along major corridors. The first phase created new mixed-use districts under Title 34 and was billed by city officials as a way to unlock thousands of housing units and support walkable main streets. The City outlined those goals in a 2024 proposal that estimated the updated code could enable tens of thousands of new homes, according to the City of Columbus.
Phase Two Work Continues
City planners say Phase Two will focus on economic and housing opportunities and extend zoning changes into additional commercial and industrial corridors. Local reporting has followed officials as they move to apply the new districts more broadly while staff fine-tunes the proposed map and development rules. WOSU Public Media has covered those next-step proposals and related council discussions.
Community Response
Neighborhood groups and area commissions have been active participants in the outreach, praising clearer rules in some places and pushing back where they fear rapid change or loss of local review. Public sessions and coverage have highlighted recurring concerns about parking, historic character, and how exemptions or variances will be handled under the new code. Columbus Underground has published accounts of recent feedback sessions and community reaction.
How To Follow Or Ask Questions
The Department says staff will continue outreach through the summer and will announce a formal public comment window later this year when residents can submit feedback and attend hearings. For project materials and updates, visit the City of Columbus or email [email protected] with questions, per City of Columbus materials.
