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Franklin County unveils housing action plan to expand affordability and link jobs to homes
Summary
Franklin County officials described a housing action plan that pairs affordability strategies — from renter supports to homeownership pathways — with employer outreach, land-bank partnerships and projects the county says will add roughly 1,300 affordable units.
Franklin County Administrator Kenneth Wilson and Rochelle Pride, the county’s chief of economic innovation and development, described a housing action plan during a local radio interview that aims to support renters, expand homeownership and coordinate employers so wages and housing costs align.
The plan responds to rapid regional growth: officials said Columbus is approaching 1,000,000 residents and Franklin County serves roughly 1.4 million people. "Housing is a key, to everything within this community," Wilson said, framing housing as central to jobs, health and long-term wealth building.
Wilson and Pride said the action plan includes measurable metrics, will be updated over time and was shaped by residents, developers and other stakeholders. Pride described it as "a working plan," saying officials intend to track outcomes and adapt policies as market conditions change.
Officials emphasized economic mobility as part of the housing strategy. "We understand that housing isn't just about supply. It's about the demand that is also necessary for individuals to be able to earn," Pride said, describing efforts to promote livable wages and workforce supports so residents can afford local housing.
The county plans to engage prospective employers during site-selection conversations to show housing availability and to recruit employers whose jobs support residents’ ability to live locally. "At Franklin County, doing things is in our DNA. We don't like to just sit and look at reports. We wanna take action," Wilson said, adding officials will publicize progress to employers as an incentive for relocation or expansion.
Officials highlighted density and mixed-income development as tools to increase supply, citing townhouses and duplexes as examples. Wilson noted benefits of duplex-style ownership for building equity: "You can live in one side and lease out the other side and in effect, deal double equity in your sleep."
County leaders pointed to ongoing and planned projects they say will materially add affordable units. Wilson identified the former South Solar Towers site near I-670 and the Sawyer Towers project, saying one of three projects "will bring over almost 1,300 units of affordable housing in Franklin County" upon completion.
Funding and approvals were discussed generally: Wilson said several projects have been approved by the Franklin County Board of Commissioners and that conveyance-fee receipts have supported some efforts. Officials also described a close partnership with the land bank to repurpose publicly owned lots and rehabilitate scattered sites into affordable housing while balancing preservation.
The county said it will work with local business organizations — including the Columbus Chamber of Commerce and the Columbus Partnership — to monitor and adjust the plan during implementation. Officials set an aspirational timeframe to see results by 2030 but described the plan as ongoing and subject to metric-driven updates.
Wilson and Pride closed by thanking the program and said the administration will continue conversations with stakeholders and publicize implementation steps. No formal vote or ordinance was reported during the interview; the plan as described is an administrative strategy for implementation and partnership-building.
