Columbus City Council holds second public hearing on proposed ADU zoning changes

Columbus City Council on Oct. 25 held a second public hearing on draft zoning changes to allow accessory dwelling units (ADUs) across residential and apartment residential districts, with city staff outlining proposed code language, utility and permitting costs, and neighborhood impacts while residents and housing advocates urged passage.

Council Member Otto Beatty, sponsor of the draft, opened the hearing and said the proposal is intended to add housing supply and options for families. Erin Prosser, deputy director of the Department of Development, told the council the ADU policy fits within the city's broader housing strategy — supply, design and subsidy — and said ADUs are one of several tools to preserve and build affordable housing options near jobs, schools and services. "The ADU policy really fits with how do we deliver that affordability by design and giving that diversity of unit types," Prosser said.

Shannon Pine, zoning chief in the Department of Building and Zoning Services, described the draft definitions and limits: ADUs would be a secondary residential dwelling on the same lot as a principal dwelling or in an apartment building, must include permanent facilities for living, sleeping, cooking and sanitation, and must have a separate means of ingress and egress. The draft would allow ADUs in all residential and apartment-residential districts (chapters…