Columbus officials tout 'Yes in God’s Backyard' to speed faith-led affordable housing

Columbus City Council President Harden convened a public hearing at Corbin Commons on a proposed “Yes in God’s Backyard” (YIGBY) policy that would make it easier for religious institutions to develop affordable housing on their land by streamlining zoning, offering technical assistance and creating a dedicated city project manager for eligible parcels.

The measure, which is part of the council’s broader “Columbus Forward” package, would create an expedited zoning review track intended to process complete applications within 45 days, allow staff-approved projects to go directly to council, and apply to parcels containing a religious institution or contiguous parcels under the same ownership, according to Building & Zoning Services staff. Council President Harden said he intends to bring proposed zoning legislation before council for consideration by the end of the year.

Why it matters: Columbus faces faster population growth and rising housing costs, presenters said, and faith institutions collectively own large amounts of underused land that could add housing without large land acquisitions. Testimony focused on two recurring obstacles: limited access to predevelopment funding and state financing rules that favor larger or suburban projects, and the risk that aging affordable properties will be lost without preservation funding.

Advocates called for a package of changes…