Explanation
Columbus is facing an affordable housing crisis, the cost of housing has rapidly increased alongside rising rates of homelessness, housing instability, and eviction. At the same time, many faith-based organizations and non-profit organizations are looking for ways to put hundreds of vacant and under-utilized parcels they own in use to meet the needs of their community and address the housing crisis.
High barriers to affordable development are particularly challenging for small, non-profit organizations to overcome, given that they often have limited levels of development expertise and lack flexible capital that can help them withstand time-consuming and unpredictable red tape. Faith-based and nonprofit organizations have highlighted opposition from area commissions and lengthy permitting and zoning barriers as key impediments to building affordable housing on their land.
There exists a need to reduce barriers to affordable housing development for these faith based and non-profit organizations that own developable land, but have less capacity, capital, and experience to support the development of affordable housing.
This ordinance creates a Yes In God’s Backyard Pilot Program and authorizes the Directors of the Departments of Development, Building and Zoning Services, Public Utilities, and Public Service to promulgate rules and regulations to implement the program with the purpose of expediting affordable housing developments through the zoning, permitting, and approvals processes when the developable land is owned by a faith-based organization, an educational organization, and/or a non-profit organization that meets program criteria. Organizations who meet program criteria will be eligible to undergo an expedited site engineering plan review and building review process and will be able to undergo a shorter period of review with Area Commissions.
Fiscal Impact: No funding is required for this legislation.
Title
To create a Yes In God’s Backyard...
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