Public Review Draft, Aug 2026 — subject to change
Zone In Phase 2: what the 9 new Columbus zoning districts mean for your property
The 60-second version
- The City of Columbus published its Zone In Phase 2 Public Review Draft on August 20, 2026 — a new zoning map + code covering about 41% of the city (~66,000–70,654 parcels; 68,413 in Franklin County by our count).
- Public comment is open August 25, 2026 – October 24, 2026. The first hearing is Thursday, August 27 at 10:00 PM UTC.
- A Council vote is targeted for Q4 2026. Nothing has taken effect — every parcel keeps its current Title 33 zoning until adoption.
Is my property in it?
Search your Columbus address to see the proposed district for your parcel and a side-by-side of your current zoning versus the draft — in the Zone In Decoder.
The proposed districts, by parcels affected
The draft reapplies the seven adopted Phase 1 districts and adds new mixed-use, office & institutional, and industrial districts. Parcel counts are Civic Worth’s spatial join of the draft map to Franklin County parcels.
| District | Family | Max height | Intended uses | PRD ch. | Parcels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAC Neighborhood Activity Center | Mixed-use | Up to 4 stories | Residential, Retail, Food, Office, Commercial, and Vehicle Service Uses | E.20 | 28,710 |
| CAC Community Activity Center | Phase 1 (reapplied) | Up to 5 stories (7 with bonus) | Residential, Retail, Food, Office, Commercial, and Vehicle Service Uses | E.20 | 16,028 |
| DT Downtown | Mixed-use | Text amendments only | — | E.20 | 5,193 |
| EMX Emerging Mixed-Use | Mixed-use | Up to 3 stories | Residential, and limited scale Food and Office Uses | E.20.040 | 4,047 |
| UCT Urban Center | Phase 1 (reapplied) | Up to 5 stories (7 with bonus) | Residential, Retail, Food, Office, and other Commercial Uses | E.20 | 2,848 |
| UGN-1 Urban General 1 | Phase 1 (reapplied) | Up to 4 stories | Residential, Retail, Food, Office, and other Commercial Uses | E.20 | 2,605 |
| IL Industrial Light | Industrial | Up to 5 stories | Light Industrial, Food, Office & Service, and Vehicle Service Uses | E.40.050 | 2,131 |
| RAC Regional Activity Center | Phase 1 (reapplied) | Up to 7 stories (10 with bonus) | Residential, Retail, Food, Office, Commercial, and Vehicle Service Uses | E.20 | 2,100 |
| IMX Industrial Mixed-Use | Mixed-use | Up to 5 stories (7 with bonus) | Residential, Retail, Food, Office, Commercial, Vehicle Service, and Light Industrial Uses | E.20 | 1,174 |
| ROI Regional Office & Institutional | Office & institutional | Up to 10 stories | Office & Service, Food, Vehicle Service, limited Retail and Residential Uses | E.30.050 | 893 |
| UCR Urban Core | Phase 1 (reapplied) | Up to 12 stories (16 with bonus) | Residential, Retail, Food, Office, and other Commercial Uses | E.20 | 785 |
| IU Industrial Urban | Industrial | Up to 5 stories | Light Industrial, Retail, Food, Office & Service, and Vehicle Service Uses | E.40.040 | 689 |
| CMP Campus | Office & institutional | Unlimited height | Office & Service, Food, some Light Industrial, limited Retail, and accessory Residential Uses | E.30.060 | 604 |
| IH Industrial Heavy | Industrial | Unlimited height | Heavy and Light Industrial, and some Office and Vehicle Service Uses | E.40.060 | 437 |
| COI Community Office & Institutional | Office & institutional | Up to 5 stories | Office & Service, Food, Vehicle Service, some Light Industrial, and limited Retail and Residential Uses | E.30.040 | 120 |
| RAC-O Regional Activity Center Open | Mixed-use | Up to 12 stories | Residential, Retail, Food, Office, Commercial, and Vehicle Service Uses | E.20 | 31 |
| UCR-R Urban Core Restricted | Phase 1 (reapplied) | Up to 12 stories (16 with bonus) | Residential, and limited scale Food and Office Uses | E.20 | 10 |
| UGN-2 Urban General 2 | Phase 1 (reapplied) | Up to 4 stories | Residential, and limited scale Food and Office Uses | E.20 | 8 |
Heights and uses are the City’s Public Review Draft intent — subject to change. See the draft code (Sources) for the governing text. Map: which neighborhoods are proposed for rezoning →
Hearings & how to comment
Public hearings
- Hearing 1: Thursday, August 27 at 10:00 PM UTC — Galloway Ridge Intermediate School, 122 Galloway Rd, Columbus, OH 43119.
- 3 more hearings are planned between August and October; dates not yet posted.
Submit a comment
- Written testimony: kbmccain@columbus.gov — due 3:00 pm the day of the hearing, subject line "written testimony".
- General comment: zoningupdate@columbus.gov.
- In person: gallery at 141 N. Front St, Mon–Fri 11–2 & 4–6, Sat 11–1.
Phase 1 vs Phase 2
Phase 1 (adopted July 2024) rezoned about 12,300 parcels along 12 commercial corridors to the seven Urban districts (UGN-1/2, UCT, UCR, UCR-R, CAC, RAC). Phase 2reapplies those seven and proposes nine new districts — Emerging Mixed-Use (EMX), Neighborhood and Regional Activity Centers (NAC, RAC-O), Industrial (IU, IL, IH, IMX), and Office & Institutional (COI, ROI, CMP) — across the residential and edge parcels Phase 1 left on legacy Title 33 zoning.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the Zone In Phase 2 map final?
- No. It is a Public Review Draft, published August 20, 2026. Public comment runs August 25 – October 24, 2026, and the City has said to expect changes to the map during that window. A Council vote is targeted for Q4 2026. Nothing on the draft has taken effect — your parcel keeps its current Title 33 zoning until the code is adopted.
- Does my existing zoning variance survive Phase 2?
- The Council packet notes that 35,737 of the affected parcels carry an active variance or site-specific zoning action. How each of those is treated is set by the draft code text, not by this summary — Civic Worth reports the proposed district, not legal advice. Read the Public Review Draft Code (linked in Sources) for how variances and site-specific actions are handled, and confirm your parcel’s specifics with the City.
- How many Columbus parcels does Phase 2 affect?
- The City puts it at roughly 66,000–70,654 parcels across about 41% of the city. Civic Worth’s own spatial join finds 68,413 Franklin County parcels inside a proposed draft district (the difference is partly Delaware and Fairfield county parcels the City counts that aren’t in our Franklin-only records).
- When and how can I comment?
- Public comment is open August 25, 2026 – October 24, 2026. Written testimony goes to kbmccain@columbus.gov (due 3:00 pm the day of the hearing, subject line "written testimony"); general comments to zoningupdate@columbus.gov. Public hearings are held in person — the first is Thursday, August 27 at 10:00 PM UTC at Galloway Ridge Intermediate School, 122 Galloway Rd, Columbus, OH 43119.
Sources
- City of Columbus Zone In Hub — current proposal and program page (https://columbus.gov/zoningupdate).
- Columbus Legistar — Resolution 0183X-2026 (comment period), notice PN0320-2026 (Hearing 1).
- Zone In Phase 2 Public Review Draft Code (Title 34, Aug 2026).
- Parcel counts: Civic Worth spatial join to Franklin County parcels (68,413 total).
Civic Worth is not the City of Columbus. This is a summary of a public draft, not legal advice.