Columbus Zone In Phase Two Adds 9 New Districts Affecting 43% of the City
Columbus's Zone In Phase Two, released August 2026, proposes rezoning roughly 43% of the city across nine new mixed-use, campus, and industrial districts. For homeowners and investors, the biggest changes are reduced parking minimums, new ADU rights, and expanded mixed-use corridors from Downtown to the Ohio State campus area.
What does Columbus's Zone In Phase Two mean for homeowners and investors?
Columbus's Zone In Phase Two, released for public review on August 21, 2026, proposes rezoning roughly 43% of the city, covering more than 66,000 parcels across nine new zoning districts. The changes reduce parking minimums in mixed-use corridors, expand accessory dwelling unit rights, and create clearer frameworks for campus and industrial areas, with a formal public comment period open through October 24, 2026.
Key Takeaways
Zone In Phase Two covers approximately 66,519 parcels, or about 43% of Columbus, compared with Phase One's 13,143 parcels and roughly 4% of the city.
Nine new districts are organized into three place types: mixed-use corridors, business and institutional campuses, and industrial/warehouse zones.
Minimum parking requirements are reduced or removed in the new mixed-use districts, which changes what developers can build on smaller infill lots near Downtown and the Ohio State campus area.
Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) such as backyard cottages and garage apartments are permitted on residential parcels within the new mixed-use districts.
The public comment period runs August 25 through October 24, 2026; parcel-specific maps and the draft code are at columbus.gov/zoningupdate.
What are the nine new districts and where do they apply?
The nine districts fall into three buckets, and which one affects your property depends entirely on where it sits in the city.
Mixed-use corridors: three new district types
The mixed-use category is the one most Columbus homeowners and small landlords will encounter. Columbus Navigator's explainer on Phase Two describes three new mixed-use designations, and the Columbus Dispatch's coverage of the August 21 announcement names them specifically: Emerging Mixed-Use (EMX), Industrial Mixed-Use, and Neighborhood Activity Center.
The Emerging Mixed-Use district is the one generating the most neighborhood conversation. A Reuters local report from September 11, 2026 describes how EMX would apply to parcels on Walhalla Road and Indianola Avenue in Clintonville, allowing detached buildings up to three stories with a minimum five-foot front setback. Residents there have raised questions about how that scale fits the ravine's existing character, and City Council has discussed whether to exclude those specific parcels. That tension is a preview of conversations happening in neighborhoods across the city.
Corridors extending from Downtown through the Short North and toward the Ohio State University campus area are among the areas most visibly affected by the mixed-use designations. If you own property on or near one of those corridors, your parcel's development potential changes under this proposal.
Business and institutional campus districts: three tiers
The three campus districts, Community Office and Institutional, Regional Office and Institutional, and Campus, are designed for hospitals, universities, and large employment centers. In Columbus, that means areas around Ohio State University, Nationwide Children's Hospital, and OhioHealth campuses are the natural candidates.
The intent, according to city zoning staff presentations, is to give large institutions a more predictable framework for expanding student housing, research space, and medical offices. For homeowners on streets adjacent to those campuses, that predictability cuts both ways: it clarifies what can be built, but it also signals that expansion pressure is being formalized, not reduced.
Industrial and warehouse districts: urban, light, and heavy
The three industrial districts, Industrial Urban, Industrial Light, and Industrial Heavy, reflect different intensities of use. Urban-scale industrial sits closest to mixed-use areas; heavy industrial applies to larger sites. For homeowners near South Side corridors or areas adjacent to Rickenbacker, these designations affect how easily older industrial buildings can be converted and what kinds of logistics or flex-space operations can locate next to residential pockets.
How do the parking and ADU changes affect property owners specifically?
Two policy shifts in Phase Two have the most direct day-to-day impact on current owners and small landlords: the reduction of minimum parking requirements and the expansion of ADU permissions.
Reduced parking minimums: what this means for infill and street parking
Under the new mixed-use districts, minimum car-parking requirements are dropped, letting builders decide appropriate parking levels for each project. That sounds like a developer-side change, but it affects existing owners in two ways.
First, infill development becomes more viable on smaller lots that previously couldn't pencil out because of parking minimums. More infill activity along a corridor typically increases foot traffic and neighborhood density, which can support nearby businesses and, over time, property values. Second, more development with less dedicated on-site parking means more competition for on-street spots, especially near Downtown and the campus area. If you're a landlord renting to tenants who rely on street parking, that's a practical concern worth factoring into your conversations with them now.
ADUs: a new income and flexibility option for homeowners
Phase Two explicitly permits accessory dwelling units on residential parcels within the new mixed-use districts. That means a backyard cottage, an over-garage apartment, or a basement unit can be a legal path forward for owners who previously couldn't add one under the old code.
I walk my clients through this kind of question regularly. The right community and the right zoning context matter as much as the house itself, and for a buyer considering a property near one of these new corridors, ADU rights are a real part of the value equation. Whether you're a current owner thinking about a rental income stream or a buyer evaluating a property's long-term potential, it's worth checking whether your specific parcel falls within a district that permits ADUs before assuming you have that option.
For context on how Columbus's housing market is performing while this rezoning process unfolds, the June 2026 Columbus Housing Market Update covers current conditions across the metro.
What does this mean for buyers and investors evaluating Central Ohio right now?
Phase Two is still in the public comment stage. The comment period runs through October 24, 2026, and City Council initiated the formal review process on August 24, 2026. Nothing is final yet, and community feedback has historically shaped final corridor maps, as it did during Phase One.
That said, the direction is clear. Columbus is modernizing a zoning code that is more than 70 years old, and Phase Two is a much larger step than Phase One. The city's own January 2026 planning document shows Phase Two covering 66,519 parcels versus Phase One's 13,143. Investors and buyers who understand where the new districts land, and what each one allows, will be better positioned than those who wait for final adoption to start paying attention.
For buyers considering where to put down roots in Central Ohio, the suburbs surrounding Columbus are also worth understanding in context. Recent local market data shows how prices and pace vary across the region:
AreaMedian Sale PriceMedian Days on MarketLewis Center$546,78049Powell$539,99039Dublin$575,00035Westerville$453,00031Delaware$440,00039Upper Arlington$649,90052New Albany$600,00049Orange Township$581,50060
Source: Recent aggregated local market data, trailing approximately 90 days as of September 2026. Area-level medians; an individual home's value depends on condition, street, build year, and timing.
Upper Arlington and New Albany, both near institutional anchors and established corridors, sit at the higher end of that range. Whether Phase Two's changes affect those values over time depends on which specific parcels get rezoned and how development activity responds. That's exactly the kind of question I help clients work through before they make a decision.
If you're curious about how newcomers to the region are thinking about city versus suburb tradeoffs, the post on where newcomers to Central Ohio actually end up living covers that pattern in detail.
The city's framing of Phase Two as focused on "economic and housing opportunity" is a signal worth taking seriously. By-right capacity for housing and mixed-use projects along key corridors, combined with reduced parking barriers, is the kind of regulatory change that tends to attract development capital over time, particularly in a market with Columbus's job and population growth trajectory.
Frequently Asked Questions
How will Columbus's new mixed-use districts affect my home's value if I live near one of the new corridors?
Proximity to a mixed-use corridor tends to support property values over time when development brings walkable amenities and increased foot traffic, but the near-term effect depends heavily on what actually gets built and how quickly. Your specific situation depends on your home's location relative to the corridor, the intensity of the new district designation, and market timing. A local market analysis is the most reliable way to understand what the rezoning means for your particular address.
What does Emerging Mixed-Use (EMX) zoning mean for my neighborhood, and could it allow taller buildings next to my house?
The Emerging Mixed-Use district allows detached buildings up to three stories with a minimum five-foot front setback on affected parcels, according to reporting on how it applies to properties in Clintonville. Whether a parcel adjacent to yours falls within the EMX boundary is something you can check using the parcel maps at columbus.gov/zoningupdate. The public comment period through October 24, 2026 is also your opportunity to raise specific concerns about how the designation applies to your block.
Will Zone In Phase Two make it easier to add an ADU like a backyard cottage or garage apartment?
Yes, for parcels with residential uses within the new mixed-use districts. Phase Two explicitly permits ADUs such as backyard cottages and garage apartments in those areas. Whether your parcel qualifies depends on which district it falls into under the proposal; the draft maps at columbus.gov/zoningupdate are the place to confirm your specific address.
How do reduced parking requirements affect tenants, street parking, and future development near Downtown and Ohio State?
Dropping minimum parking requirements means developers can build projects with less dedicated on-site parking, which makes infill on smaller lots more viable but also increases competition for on-street spaces in dense areas. Near Downtown and the Ohio State campus area, where parking is already constrained, this is a practical consideration for landlords whose tenants depend on street parking. Over time, more walkable infill development along corridors tends to reduce car dependence, but the transition period can create friction.
How can I check whether my parcel is included in the Phase Two rezoning, and what are my options if I have concerns?
Parcel-specific maps and the full draft zoning code are available at columbus.gov/zoningupdate. You can also visit the Zone In Public Gallery at 141 N. Front Street in person, participate in webinars, or submit written comments during the formal comment period, which runs through October 24, 2026. If you want to frame comments that are most likely to be acted on, working with someone who followed the Phase One process, and saw how community feedback shaped final corridor maps, is a practical advantage.
When would any new zoning rules actually start impacting my property?
The public comment period runs through October 24, 2026, after which City Council will review feedback and move toward adoption. No final adoption date has been announced. Phase One, which covered about 4% of the city, completed its process in 2024; Phase Two's much larger scope may take longer to finalize. The draft proposal is not yet in effect, but understanding where your parcel lands now gives you time to engage before the rules are set.
Zone In Phase Two is the most significant shift in Columbus's zoning framework in more than 70 years, and the public comment period through October 24, 2026 is the window to shape how it applies to your neighborhood. Whether you own near a new mixed-use corridor, hold a rental near a campus district, or are evaluating a purchase in Columbus right now, the district your property falls into matters for what you can build, what neighbors can build, and how the area evolves.
I help clients across Columbus and Central Ohio work through exactly these questions, from reading a zoning map to understanding what a designation change means for a specific address. Schedule a consultation and we'll look at your parcel together.
About Chrisi Hagan
Chrisi Hagan is a REALTOR® with the Collins Lassiter Group at Red 1 Realty, serving Columbus and Central Ohio. Ranked in the top 1% of Columbus MLS agents, she specializes in helping buyers and sellers, including those rightsizing, relocating, and military families, make confident moves across the region.
Equal Housing Opportunity. Chrisi Hagan is licensed as a Real Estate Salesperson in Ohio, regulated by the Ohio Division of Real Estate & Professional Licensing. This article is general information only and is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Confirm your own numbers and zoning specifics with your title company, tax advisor, lender, or the City of Columbus directly.
