Dive Brief:
- Local government leaders in central Ohio announced in November the creation of a regional housing coalition that will lead a coordinated approach to building more housing, with a focus on “breaking down siloes and maximizing resources,” according to a press release from the city of Columbus, Ohio.
- The creation of the coalition comes as new housing construction in the region struggles to keep up with job and population growth, a mismatch that is driving up rent and housing prices, the city says.
- Regional partners, stakeholders and leaders will further develop the coalition in the coming months and create a business plan for the new entity.
Dive Insight:
The numbers on housing supply and affordability in central Ohio paint a concerning picture. By 2030, the region will have fewer homes than families, according to projections cited by the city of Columbus. According to Redfin Realty, a homebuyer needs to make at least $90,000 annually to buy a home in the region — almost $15,000 more than the median household income of $76,000 per year, according to Columbus.
“If you work in Central Ohio, you should be able to live in Central Ohio – but Columbus cannot be the sole housing provider of our region,” Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said in a statement. Other Ohio local governments involved in the coalition include the cities of Reynoldsburg and Sunbury as well as Fairfield County, reports local news station WOSU Public Media.
The coalition will be a public-private partnership operating as a nonprofit, serving as a conduit for funding and prioritizing housing projects, WOSU reports. Officials said central Ohio needs 200,000 new homes to be built in the region over the next decade.
The coalition’s creation is rooted in efforts that began in 2021, when Ginther and local nonprofit leaders convened community leaders to discuss regional housing affordability challenges. That convening led to four task forces focused on different aspects of the issue: supply, affordability, coordination and equity and advocacy. The task forces developed a list of actions that they hoped would help central Ohio meet its housing needs, and stakeholders determined a regional organization would be needed to spearhead the implementation of those actions, according to a press release.
In a statement, Reynoldsburg Mayor Joe Begeny said, “While each of us must take a unique approach to address the needs of our individual communities, by working together, we can make a meaningful impact in the lives of our community members.”
