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Council adopts 'zone-in' update to rezone parts of Route 161 corridor to Title 34 standards
Summary
After months of outreach, Columbus council approved ordinances moving parcels along the East Route 161 corridor into new Title 34 mixed-use districts intended to encourage walkable, transit-connected development in Northland.
Columbus City Council approved a series of ordinances to extend Title 34 zoning standards to portions of the East Route 161 corridor, rezoning more than 160 parcels with the goal of producing walkable, mixed-use development and additional housing options in the Northland area.
Luis Hiva, the program manager for the city’s zoning initiative, summarized the outreach and technical work behind the update: “We had over 1,800 mailers, which were sent to property owners, tenants, and people who live within a 125 feet of a property. We had 2 council hearings. We had an online map survey that had 303 survey respondents.”
The phase-1 update rezones large stretches of the corridor to three district types (Regional Activity Center, Community Activity Center and Urban General 2 in small areas) with design standards intended to allow up to five or seven stories at key nodes and up to four stories in other locations, plus design guidelines to guide materials, setbacks and street-fronting uses. The change reduces the number of distinct zoning districts along this corridor from around 20 to three, the presenters said, and adds design guidance previously missing.
Pat Hamill, vice president of the Northland Community Council, spoke in support at council: “This change to the zoning code will allow us to have walkable mixed use development along the East 161 Corridor.” Alice Fuller, a volunteer leader with Elevate Northland and the Northland Area Business Association, said the rezoning will help position 161 for planned transportation and economic investments.
Council members and staff noted the rezoning follows a period of public comment, meetings with local councils and updated code language. The council also passed related code-cleanup items and an opt-in mechanism (Title 33 to Title 34) so property owners with contiguous lots can request rezoning under the updated Title 34 rules.
The ordinances were adopted after staff presentations and public comment; councilmembers said they expect additional phases of the zoning modernization to continue.
