CINCINNATI — Cincinnati city leaders are proposing a major overhaul to city zoning regulations in an effort to increase housing and speed up development.
“Our housing is not keeping pace with our growth,” said Mayor Aftab Pureval during an announcement about the proposal on Monday.
The policy proposals are part of Cincinnati’s “Connected Communities” initiative, which has been in the works for nearly two years. The ideas primarily target areas surrounding neighborhood business districts and major transportation corridors.
“Reforms are narrowly tailored to geographic areas that we think need more growth,” Pureval said.
The proposals aim to increase “middle housing,” which the city defines as two-, three- and four-unit homes, as well as reduce regulations on developers to allow them to build more units in less space.
“Our zoning, the set of rules that dictates how our communities can be designed, is capping the supply of houses and concentrating poverty in our city,” Pureval said.
One of the proposals would also relax parking requirements on development projects, which city leaders say slow or prevent projects from coming to fruition.
“So often, parking is the obstacle to bringing more housing to our community,” Pureval said.
City leaders behind the proposals say it will make Cincinnati more affordable.
“If we stick with the status quo, Cincinnati will be the next city that is completely unattainable to live in for working-class Americans,” said council member Reggie Harris. “Then the city will join other cities across the Midwest in shrinking population and economic opportunity.”
The proposals also include relaxing zoning regulations on projects that would bring in more affordable housing.
The city will conduct public engagement over the next few months. Pureval said he hopes to have a final plan before city council in June for a vote.
You can explore what the proposed changes would mean for your neighborhood here. You can find a list of public engagement sessions here.
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