GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

AFFAIRS GOVERNMENT

By Malcolm Porter

National issues like interest rates, material costs and availability, etc. are largely out of the control of local housing stakeholders. However, local issues are also essential components of the housing market equation. The BIA remains focused on local issues that can make a difference to single-family and multi-family housing in the region.

Some updates on several key issues include:

• Columbus Approval of

PVC Pipe: it is not often that we get to highlight a new policy that will result in substantial development cost savings, but this is one. The City has now approved altering its longheld policy requiring ductile iron and will allow 6” and 8”

PVC water pipes in many new development sites. • Delaware City

Development Activity

“Pause”: The BIA is in the early stages of working with

Delaware following their announcement suspending concept plan reviews due to their heavy development related workload. While they will still schedule project meetings to discuss new development, a long-term slowdown of development plan consideration by the City is not a solution but creates a new set of issues. Delaware City sees itself as a community open to development and will need to navigate a short-term challenge or address the new reality of increased development activity. • Fairfield County Road

Construction Specs and

Subdivision Regulations:

County Commissioner Fix and County Engineer Upp are providing leadership to make changes on items identified

at the most problematic and arbitrary by BIA members. • Columbus CRA/Abatement

Policy: Prior to its August recess, City Council passed legislation that amended the affordable housing requirements for CRA abatement qualification.

The BIA has been engaged with the City on this issue for months and was involved in several changes, including the preservation of a fee-in-lieu option - a pivotal change to help address individual site challenges. The City intends the ordinance to be a significant contributor to helping improve neighborhood income diversity.

All parties will be watching closely to ensure that housing production does not decline due to the increased costs associated with this new policy. • Columbus Zoning Code:

Early staff level work continues.

The BIA continues to be told that map level revisions will take a few years to complete for the entire city; however, we suggest that in the interim, there are policy changes across the board that could empower staff, reduce the prevalence of the most common zoning variance requests, and improve timeframes. • Columbus Development

Plan Approval Process:

Building and Zoning Director

Scott Messer is leading an administrative effort to revamp housing project reviews for the purposes of shortening review times for required development plans. • Licking County, Johnstown,

Grove City, Plain City, and Circleville, as well as in selected townships: there is ongoing work to updates for utility planning, comprehensive plans, zoning codes, appearance codes and subdivision regulations. • New Albany/Columbus

Utility Agreement:

Columbus will receive 26% of New Albany’s net income proceeds from Intel and related land. More than being vital for Intel getting the water it requires, the amount of the agreement reflects an understanding of the

Columbus role in providing housing and other supports that are integral to Intel’s long-term success. Regional agreements that provide financial benefit to the community that is providing housing for workers for a development that occurs in another jurisdiction is a positive model worthy of additional application in central Ohio.

The BIA’s Board of Trustees led both the Builders and Developers Council as well as the Multi-Family Council in providing input and developing the BIA’s policies related to local government initiatives in central Ohio. All BIA members are invited to these forums to share your ideas and input.