North Linden Area Commission Zoning Committee Report, November 2022
Zoning Committee Report
The Zoning Committee brought forward one item for the North Linden Area Commission to vote on in their November meeting:
- BZA22-110 2324 Cleveland Avenue, a car lot upgrade — recommend approval
At the meeting, NLAC voted to approve the request, but noted that they wanted the city to follow up and ensure that the property would be fenced in using something better than chain link fence.
Download the November 2022 report (7.2MB PDF)
Other notes from this meeting
Every year, the City Attorney's office has an opportunity to object to liquor permits filed with the Ohio Division of Liquor Control. You can view the 2022 list of objections here, but this year, there were no problem properties in North Linden.
City Council is proposing some "common-sense gun reform" legislation; read more about the gun reform proposal in the City Council newsletter. It's primarily penalties for selling guns to people who can't legally buy them, for allowing children to access guns through failure to use locks or safes, and a ban on 30+ round magazines.
City Council is also proposing to ban flavored and menthol tobacco sales in Columbus; read more about the proposed ban of flavored tobacco on Columbus' website. The final hearing is Wednesday, November 30. Email your comments to flavoredtobacco@columbus.gov
Mayor Ginther has proposed his 2023 General Fund Budget; read the details of that budget.
In 2023, Columbus residents will have the opportunity to run for, and vote for, new seats in the Columbus City Council, as it moves to the new hybrid seat system. Candidates run for office based on residency in districts, but as voters, you'll vote for a candidate from each district, not just your own district. View the district map online. North Linden shares District 4 with South Linden, most of North Central, the area north of North Linden between the railroad tracks and south of 161, and a stripe of the University Area Commission east of Summit Avenue. Council tweeted a video about the new process, but the districts website does not look like it has been updated since mid-2021.
Other notes
The video from the Fall 2022 Area Commission Zoning Training has been posted to the Area Commission handbook webpage; you can watch it there or watch the training on WebEx.
The City has sent out a notification regarding the "Zone In Columbus" initiative to update Columbus' zoning code. The series soft-launched with a November 10 presentation at the launch of YWCA's Undesign The Redline exhibit.
The schedule for Undesign The Redline says the exhibit will be visiting various community centers in Columbus on a rotating basis:
- Barnett Community Center from December 5 to 11, with a community conversation December 6 at 6 p.m.
- Glenwood Recreation Center from December 12 to 18, with a community conversation December 13 at 6 p.m.
- Franklin Park Adventure Center from January 9 to 15, with a community conversation January 10 at 6 p.m.
- Linden Recreation Center from January 17 to 22, with a community conversation January 17 at 6 p.m.
- The Reeb Center from January 23 to 29, with a community conversation January 24 at 6 p.m.
- OSU Hale Hall from February 1 to February 15
- Columbus Metro Library Main Branch February 15 to March 15
- Capital University Center for Faith and Learning from March 16 to March 31
An email sent to the City's Zoning Update mailing list on November 23 reads as follows:
Zone In on our future!
Columbus is growing like never before. By 2050, Central Ohio is expected to grow by 1 million new residents. We know we need to think about things differently – and act now.
As Columbus looks forward, we have an opportunity to plan for and guide an equitable, sustainable, and prosperous future for all our residents. One tool to support equitable growth is Columbus’ zoning code. The City of Columbus is embarking on an effort – Zone in Columbus – to modernize our code and better reflect our community’s needs and opportunities for housing, transportation, and equitable development.
The City of Columbus has partnered with the YWCA of Columbus to host Undesign the Redline, an interactive exhibit that explores the history of structural racism through urban planning and its long-term impacts. We invite you to explore this exhibit with your neighbors to learn more about our history, share your own stories, and help us invent a new future for Columbus where all our neighbors, businesses, and communities thrive. We hope you can attend one of the following community events or visit the display for a self-guided tour while it travels through Columbus neighborhoods!
Read the original email and sign up for the city's zoning update newsletter, or plug the zoning updates mailing list RSS feed into your feedreader.
I don't expect that public hearings will start until after the exhibit has circulated through the first five neighborhood community centers, but I could be surprised.
If you're interested in RSS, I have a hopefully-comprehensive list of all GovDelivery feeds from Columbus, but note that not all Columbus government services use GovDelivery for their newsletters, and many feeds have been dormant for a long time.
OSU's Center for Urban and Regional Analysis will hold an online panel discussion on December 2 from noon to 1 p.m. about the evolution of community engagement in cities. The panel includes the authors of a 2021 manifesto stating that it's time for public participation to evolve with transportation planning. Should be interesting.
MORPC, LinkUS Columbus, and COTA have finalized the Locally Preferred Alternative for the Northwest Bus Rapid Transit line along Olentangy River Road, which means that it's only 7-8 years of financing, engineering work, design work, and $180 million of funding, until there's an actual high-frequency bus line with dedicated right-of-way in Columbus. (CMAX doesn't count.)
LinkUS will host a BRT station design concept webinar on December 5 at 11 a.m. on Zoom and on Facebook Live.