Zone In is one of many steps in the right direction needed to address housing crisis

Zone In is not the magic bullet that will solve the Columbus region's significant housing challenges.

Nor will the comprehensive zoning reform plan end homelessness , settle an affordable housing crisis or guarantee seniors can afford to age in their homes despite soaring property taxes.

Central Ohio leaders won't be able to declare "mission accomplished" if Zone In is approved by Columbus City Council Monday, but the much-debated plan is a critical step in the right direction.

Focused on parcels along major corridors for now, Zone In will bring order to the city's antiquated 1950s-era zoning code and remove some of the unnecessary barriers housing developers and businesses face.

The current approach makes for an expensive and time-sucking process that does not serve the community well. It's insufficient as the region continues on its growth trajectory.

Andrew Ginther: There must always be room for one more in Columbus. Zone In key to future.

Two years in the works, Zone In clearly spells out the rules for zoning in Columbus — what goes where and how it looks and functions. It removes the time-consuming need for developers to seek variances for just about any project.

If approved, more than 40 zoning districts will be replaced with six mix-use district types — Regional Activity Center, Community Activity Center, Urban General 1, Urban General 2, Urban Center and Urban Core — with height and other rules designed for each.

Some major streets could see buildings as tall as 16 stories.

Residents were involved in Zone In

During a monthslong public comment period , residents had the opportunity to visit an exhibit on the project in-person and ask questions of officials. Several on l ine tools , an interactive map included, are still available for inspection. City officials say information was mailed directly to impacted residents.

The plan has evolved to better protect historic districts and at least in part address off-street parking concerns raised by the public.

Council President Pro Tem Rob Dorans told the Dispatch language will clarify that historic-design review and height limitation rules that are currently in place to regulate new construction in historic districts such as German Village, Victorian Village and Italian Village will trump the new zoning code.

The original Zone In language excluded any parking requirements for developments. Council now will require parking mitigation studies on projects with fewer parking spaces than the number of housing units being built to gauge impact on the neighborhood. In cases of severe impact, developers would have to offer mitigation resources such as permit parking on adjacent streets, bike-share programs, COTA bus passes, scooters and other transportation options.

Affordable housing key to city's future

Developments with 100% affordable housing units would be exempt from parking mitigation.

Such housing is in high demand in Columbus and other cities around the region, state and nation.

As the cost to rent and buy continue to soar, we remain far short of building the 14,000 to 19,000 housing units a Building Industry Association of Central Ohio funded report says should be constructed each year to keep up with growth.

Columbus, the nation's 14th largest city, saw its population expand by 120,000 residents since 2010. The 15-county region's population could reach more than 3 million by 2050.

With proposed changes, properties within this first phase of Zone In will be able to support 88,000 homes - nearly 45% of central Ohio's housing needs, according to officials.

Columbus must remain affordable. Zone in key to city's future.

That would be a healthy dent, but more work is yet to be done by Columbus and other central Ohio communities.

Other communities should follow Columbus' lead and seek out solutions to the region's complex housing issues.

There is no one solution, but each positive step gets us that much closer to declaring victory.

This piece was written by Dispatch Opinion Editor Amelia Robinson on behalf of the editorial board of The Columbus Dispatch . Editorials are fact-based assessments of issues of importance to the communities we serve. These are not the opinions of our reporting staff members, who strive for neutrality in their reporting.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Zone In is one of many steps in the right direction needed to address housing crisis