The Columbus Metropolis Council on Thursday launched a sweeping set of proposals designed to deal with the scarcity of inexpensive housing within the metropolis.
Among the many proposals: requiring landlords to register and pay a payment for his or her rental properties; streamlining the zoning course of to encourage extra “tiny houses” subsequent to present houses; and monitoring vacant houses and penalizing owners who go away them uncared for.
Whereas particulars of the proposals have but to be labored out, they spotlight the broad areas the Metropolis Council will give attention to this yr to assist present extra housing, along with the passage of a $200 million housing bond package deal within the fall and rewriting town’s zoning code.
“We’re at a crucial level in our metropolis’s historical past. With the anticipated progress of Columbus, comes challenges, with housing being on the forefront,” Council member Shayla Favor stated in a ready assertion. “The approaching housing disaster threatens the stabilization of households and extra particularly households of low-income, and Black and brown households.”
The council’s efforts observe unprecedented demand for central Ohio houses in recent times, which has led to house costs leaping almost 40% since 2019 and rents rising past what many can afford.
In a separate report launched Thursday, the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio and the Nationwide Low Revenue Housing Coalition concluded that Ohio lacked an estimated 270,000 rental items which can be inexpensive and out there to the state’s 448,000 extraordinarily low-income households.
In line with the report, known as the Hole report, the scarcity of inexpensive housing has grown 6% over the previous yr.
Extra:Amid annual rely, a lot is deliberate this yr in Columbus to assist the homeless discover housing
Favor, who chairs Metropolis Council’s Housing Committee, will oversee the council’s effort, which focuses on a number of objectives, every led by one council member. Objectives embrace making homeownership extra accessible; making a extra “sturdy” truthful housing council to guard renters and consumers towards discrimination; and in search of to guard renters from predatory real-estate firms.
Some particular actions talked about in a morning information convention embrace:
- Launching a pilot program to encourage “accent dwelling items,” or tiny houses, constructed on heaps that already comprise houses. To construct such houses immediately requires a string of zoning variances. Underneath a pilot program overseen by Councilmember Emmanuel Remy, town hopes to encourage 20 to 30 tiny houses to assist present low-cost housing. “It is a chance to create stunning houses at a modest worth,” Remy stated.
- Requiring rental properties to be registered, and gathering charges on the properties which in flip might be used for rental help. This proposal will pair with Franklin County’s requirement that rental houses be registered, however will include a payment paid by landlords that might be collected right into a fund to assist low-income residents afford housing, stated Councilmember Nick Bankston, who will oversee the initiative.
- Making a registry of vacant and foreclosed properties with the aim of holding property homeowners liable for leaving deserted properties in disrepair. Underneath the proposal, property homeowners could be fined if houses sit deserted and uncared for for a sure time frame, stated Council President Professional Tem Rob Dorans.
- Increasing home-repair grants to owners to incorporate roof repairs. Overseen by Councilmember Mitch Brown.
- Requiring landlords to simply accept funds from third-party sources for tenants. Overseen by Favor.
- Requiring that tenants obtain no less than a 180-day discover of lease will increase upon lease renewal. Overseen by Favor.
- Requiring the registration of property “wholesalers,” who get properties into contract after which promote the contract. Overseen by Favor.
Council members stated the initiatives might be launched and mentioned over the following 16 months earlier than being adopted.
jweiker@dispatch.com
@JimWeiker
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