Columbus officials propose administrative updates to CRA program, outline $25 million housing development agreement

Columbus City Council’s Housing, Homelessness and Building Committee heard a presentation Oct. 26 from the Department of Development on legislative and administrative updates to the city’s Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) residential tax incentive and details of a proposed housing development agreement with private partner Nuveen that would use bond funds to support 1,268 affordable units.

The Department of Development’s deputy director, Aaron Prosser, and Jeremy Heater Gerrit, program manager for the residential tax incentive program, told committee members the administration is not recommending changes to the CRA’s affordability thresholds now because construction costs, land values and interest rates have risen since 2022 and left “less capacity” to capture deeper affordability without making the incentive nonviable. Prosser cited staff analysis showing higher input costs and Jeremy Gerrit described the program’s role in the city’s broader housing strategy, including the use of a 15-year property tax abatement for new or rehabilitated residential construction.

Why it matters: The CRA is one of the primary voluntary tools Columbus can use to include income-restricted units in high-demand neighborhoods; state law limits the city’s ability to require affordability through zoning. Committee members and staff framed the updates as efforts to keep the incentive usable for developers while improving transparency and program administration so eligible affordable units come online and residents can find them.

Key proposals described by staff included: - Expanding the CRA geography to incorporate recently annexed parcels; staff estimate about 1,300 potential housing units could be eligible if annexed parcels are added to the CRA. -…