Title
Notice/Advertisement Title: Housing, Homelessness, and Building Committee Hearing Minutes
Contact Name: Jessica Clinger
Contact Telephone Number: 614-645-6354
Contact Email Address: JNClinger@columbus.gov
Body
Columbus City Council
Housing, Homelessness, and Building Committee Hearing Minutes
Hosted by Council President Hardin: City Hall, Council Chambers
Thursday, July 24, 2025 at 3pm
Call to order: 3:10pm
Present: Council President Hardin, Council Pro Tem Rob Dorans, Councilmember Nancy Day-Achauer, Councilmember Remy, Councilmember Lourdes Barroso de Padillo, Councilmember Otto Beatty III, Deputy Director Erin Prosser, Jeremy Heater-Druhot, Michael Wilkos, Roy Lowenstein, Heidi Ferguson, David Parrish, Katie Fallon, and Jessica Clinger.
Presentation:
Introduction and welcome: Council President Hardin.
- Background of Community Reinvestment Act program and policy. Discussion of legislation for renewal and update. Importance of building more housing and using all tools available.
Invited Speaker:
Deputy Director Erin Prosser of Department of Development
- Discussion of the need to build affordable housing in growing cities. Department of Development is not recommending changes to the affordability requirement for the CRA. It would narrow capacity, cost of construction is going up and debt service cost rising.
- There is not capacity for deeper affordability under CRA program currently. Significant changes were made to the program since 2018 including going to a citywide CRA.
- Hoping in the next few years there will be better data for decision making. Administration of program has gotten better. Improving this program with technical and procedural updates will make it predictable and consistent.
Jeremy Heater-Druhot - Program manager in Department of Development over the CRA program
- This incentive serves the residents, we need to focus on program outcomes - the Columbus housing market is not in balance, housing demand has outstripped housing supply.
- Through the CRA we offer 15 year tax abatement helps to off-set costs, brings online new units and rehab older units, invests in housing renovation, 41% of units within the program are single family doing rehabilitation in high opportunity neighborhoods.
- As city has changed this program made changes to this policy. Prior to 2018 this policy didn’t respond to the times. No affordability requirements prior to 2018. In 2018 Council made changes for affordability requirements.
- 2023 housing CRA which tripled the area of the CRA. 1.5% of all city parcels benefit from CRA. New application changes coming that streamlines process. Affordability requirements earlier in the application. From 2019-2025 there were 16K more housing units online. Under Ohio law can’t mandate affordability must be tied to an incentive.
- Update in 2025 - improve experience with how residents work with department and responsiveness to public. Focus on delivering the units we need. Update geography to include new annexations. Simplify document needed. Update housing officer to be to director of development or their designee and help simplify approval path.
What’s next for the CRA program in the future? Keep tracking annexations, watch the effects of Zone In policy.
Council member Questions:
Council President Hardin - How do we know the CRA is necessary and successful, especially a citywide CRA?
Prosser: The incentive produced over 16K units, large update lately, LITEC units didn’t always seek out the incentive and now they do. It’s also apart of the housing strategy. Only way to include affordability in high demand area. Key to how we include inclusive housing types.
Council President Hardin: How have we made the CRA process more effective and make it better?
Jeremy Heater-Druhot: The team has worked hard to update application that didn’t require code change. Worked on how we certify final costs. Approval rates have increased for applications.
Council President Hardin: How do we make sure residents know about affordable units in CRA supported units?
Prosser- It’s true some don’t know there are affordable units in these buildings. I am excited about making these improvements and give us capacity to make a platform and identify these units for the public. Improve programming as a result.
Council President Hardin - We want to see a website that shows these units that is outward facing. Council looks forward to working with Development to get there.
Council Member Barroso de Padillo - What’s the benefit to you, if you don’t want to build a new home, move or rehab your home?
Deputy Director Prosser- This allows us to build more housing and bring down the price of housing by providing more supply and could down the line effect property taxes. We are doing something other cities aren’t doing by effecting the cost of construction. Allows us to do denser projects. Relieves the pressure and stabilizes the market. Part of broader housing strategy and helps with home repair for seniors.
Council Pro Tem Dorans - How do we compare past amount of abated units compared to prior years?
Jeremy Heater-Druhot - We don’t know, have to crunch the numbers with County Auditor and get back with Council.
CPT Dorans - What’s the uptake for CRA and units being occupied that are affordable (vacancy rates)?
Jeremy Heater Druhot- Program review step because of number of units developed. Live worksheet tracks these numbers. There are some units left vacant despite affordability incentive but this is something we want to work on.
CPT Dorans: I want to hear more about the Fee in liu, how much and how much has the fee generated?
Jeremy Heater-Druhot: ¼ units used fee in liu during the CRA process.
Deputy Director Prosser: Department plans to use the fee for “Access to opportunity” programming within the Department of Development. We want to use it for something that doesn’t fluctuate, not used for staffing, maybe homeownership assistance programming for middle income families, which could address need for families and right tool for spectrum.
Councilmember Beatty: CSB submitted comments about deep affordability at the 30% AMI. How can this program address this?
Prosser - That’s one of our biggest challenges. These types of units would also need HUD vouchers.
Council Hardin want to get into a new housing development deal with Nuveen. This program can address deep affordability.
Deputy Director Prosser - Housing Development Deal with Nuveen with an opportunity to address a challenging property and sure up a potential troubled property. Related to our bond package.
- We are going to come with more details. Conversation with Nuveen to get into pre-development work with Latitude soon, new construction project on Norton Road, Wedgewood existing project to sure it up and ensure affordability.
- We are one part of their capital stack, and if they get it the whole stack assembled this program could move forward. Does not obligate the City if the capital stack doesn’t work out.
- $25M gap funding from the City bond package. $2,000 for each unit and so a little higher than typical but pencils close to our typical project. Exciting opportunity. Comprehensive package.
Council President Hardin - I am excited that this deal with achieve deep affordability. Also, excited to see Wedgewood as apart of this deal to achieve better conditions and safety program. Restore this housing and make it better.
Deputy Director Prosser- Great opportunity to restore these units. In conversations about that property. If they don’t end up getting that property, it won’t be apart of that deal with the City.
Councilmember Day Achauer -How do we get more family sized units?
Prosser - It’s hard to achieve financing for family sized units. We are interested in talking about how we use our policy levers to incentive more family units.
Pubic Speakers:
Michael Wilkos - United Way, chair COC. He is in full support of updates and renewal for CRA and housing development with Nuveen. We have a shortage of affordable housing. Poverty rate of Columbus 18% and ALICE households are even higher. Working poor is a challenge. Rents climbed 8% this year. Housing choice is important.
Council President Hardin - Why is CRA tool important?
Wilkos - Everyone thinks housing is the most important issue. We don’t have enough housing but homelessness is increasing. Need all these tools.
Roy Lowenstein - Chair zoning for Near East Area commission and housing. CRA we should restrict affordability to 60% AMI. That’s not affordable. Nuveen project is too big and dense. We are working with Nuveen to see a less dense project.
Thank you and closing remarks from Council President Hardin.
Adjourned at 4:47pm