Master plans
A master plan helps a community to plan future development and growth over the long term.
- The City of Columbus has several topic-specific master plans
- Different plans are updated on different cycles
- Plans from regional agencies supplement and guide the City of Columbus' planning efforts
List of Columbus Master Plans
Note that some of these plans were still being actively developed when this site was last updated: on Sunday, July 14, 2024.
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Zone In zoning code update
Through the Zone In initiative, The City of Columbus plans to increase the allowable density of housing in much of Columbus, starting with mixed-use developments along major transit corridors by summer 2024. A second phase will cover the remaining 96% of the City.
This project includes, among other items:
- land use planning
- public art planning
- parking requirements
- building design standards
- light pollution reduction
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Columbus Citywide Planning Policies (C2P2)
Many Columbus neighborhoods have adopted local land-use and planning guidelines. For a complete list of these programs, see the Columbus Building and Zoning Services Document Library, or read the Columbus Citywide Planning Policies (C2P2) first edition plan.
Adopted in 2018, C2P2 is still current. However, due to a Columbus.gov refresh that wiped out a lot of content, the best place to find information on this is in the Wayback Machine.
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Housing 4 All
Columbus City Council’s 2023 Housing Initiatives, continued into 2024, address several aspects of the housing supply and renter experience in Columbus.
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Urban Forestry Master Plan
The Urban Forestry Master Plan concerns both publicly-owned and privately-owned trees: their planting, maintenance, and replacement. Columbus’ goal is to increase tree cover in all neighborhoods, to reduce the urban heat island effect. The public portion of this code was adopted in 2023;
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Vision Zero Columbus
Vision Zero Columbus “is focused on ending crash-related fatalities and serious injuries”, while expanding mobility options. The 2023-2028 Vision Zero Action Plan calls for speed limit reductions, more sidewalks and bike infrastructure, and crossing safety improvements. Columbus Vision Zero also publishes annual reports.
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Blueprint Columbus
This confusingly-named plan is about building infrastructure to reduce stormwater runoff and sewer backups. This program uses lateral lining, gutter diversion, sump pumps, permeable pavers, and rain gardens to appropriately direct excess water.
The project is based in Columbus’ 2005 Wet Weather Management plan, which was designed to bring Columbus into compliance with Ohio EPA consent orders regarding sanitary sewer overflows and combined sewer overflows.
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Columbus Climate Action Plan
The Columbus Metropolitan Statistical Area’s 2024 Prioriy Climate Action Plan is part of the Office of Sustainability’s Climate Action Plan, in partnership with OSU, MORPC, and 10 counties’ worth of local governments, to implement the Justice40 goals for clean energy, affordable and sustainable housing, climate impact mitigation, and pollution reduction. Columbus aims to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
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Downtown Columbus Strategic Plan
This plan describes how to make the Downtown of the City of Columbus into a 15-minute city, with land-use recommendations and public infrastructure recommendations that will support 40,000 residents by 2040. The plan is sponsored by Downtown Columbus, Inc., which was formed from the merger of the Columbus Downtown Development Corporation and Capital South. Those groups were responsible for the 2010 Downtown Strategic Plan, which led to the redevelopment of the Scioto Peninsula, and for securing significant private funding for a number of public-space projects.
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Strategic Parking Plan
The City of Columbus has a Strategic Parking Plan for urban neighborhoods: Downtown, University District, Franklinton and South of Downtown Neighborhoods (German Village, Brewery District, Southside).
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Community Reinvestment Areas
Columbus’ residential tax incentive program reduces property taxes for specific forms of new-build residential properties. The program is reassessed yearly. This program is controversial due to the way it reduces revenue for Columbus City Schools, and praised for creating lots of affordable housing.
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Columbus Recreation and Parks Deparment
The City’s Recreation and Parks Department has a section of their website dedicated to long-range plans; the only one currently listed is [the 2023-2028 CRPD Land Plan], covering land acquisition and future development. This plan builds on the 2014-2024 Land Plan, and plans for 2,874 acres of additional parkland and 180 miles of trails.
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Comprehensive Water Master Plan
This plan describes methods of managing runoff and water quality for Columbus’ drinking-water reservoirs. The primary ongoing legacy of this plan is the City of Columbus’ Land Stewardship Plan, which is primarily oriented towards property owners whos land abuts Big Walnut Creek, the Scioto River, and Columbus’ reservoirs. The orignal master plan is hard to track down because of link rot. Consider the following sites to learn the outline of the plan: the consultant Coldwater Consultants, the consultant Biohabitats, the consultant OSU’s College of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Sciences’ Extension services, and a 2015 archive of the old watershed page.
List of Regional Master Plans
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LinkUS
LinkUS is a regional planning initiative for transit and non-car mobility in Central Ohio. LinkUS proposes:
- build 3 bus rapid transit lines by 2030
- build 2 other rapid transit lines by 2030, which may not be bus-based
- provide an estimated $60 million per year for construction of sidewalks and bike paths within the COTA service area
- add more COTA//Plus on-demand transit zones
- add 45% more COTA service hours compared to 2019 service levels
Long-term funding for LinkUS is dependent upon a 0.5% sales tax increase measure on the November 2024 ballot.
LinkUS is led by the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, the Central Ohio Transit Authority, and the City of Columbus, but includes stakeholders from across 15 counties.
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Regional Housing Strategy
MORPC’s Regional Housing Strategy guides Central Ohio governments on where and how to build what sorts of housing. The City of Columbus is a major player due to its size, but there are many other governments in the area.
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RAPID 5
RAPID 5 is a plan for improving access to Columbus’ 5 major waterways, through trails and parks. The plan was originally developed by MORPC and the Urban Land Institute Columbus, with support from the Columbus Neighborhood Design Center and 5 local architectural firms. The project continues under the auspices of an independent nonprofit also named RAPID 5, which has established a land trust.
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OSU Framework
The Ohio State University’s “Framework” series of plans guide the development of the Columbus campus’ housing, educational, and employment centers. The Framework plan also informs the development of transit, bike, and pedestrian infrastructure in and around the campus.
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Public Art Plan
The Greater Columbus Public Art Plan will provide a plan for the creation and placement of art in the Columbus region. This is a project of the City of Columbus and the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, through the Greater Columbus Arts Council.
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Central Ohio Climate Action Plan
Sustainable Columbus is developing a Central Ohio Climate Action Plan providing a coordinated set of recommendations for the 10 counties in MORPC’s service area. This plan builds on Columbus’ Climate Action Plan, but with a regional scope.
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Expo 2050
Governor Mike DeWine’s Expo 2050 Task Force made recommendations for development of the Ohio Expo Center and State Fairgrounds and surrounding state-owned properties, including the Historic Crew Stadium and the Ohio History Center. Recommendations included new construction within the Fairgrounds, a new entrance gate on 20th Avenue, a new entertainment pavilion, new utility tunnels, and better connections to the stadium and museum. Despite the proximity to future Amtrak service on the Columbus-Cleveland route, the plan does not include provision for passenger rail or even bus transit.
Help contribute to this site
If you’re aware of a master plan that isn’t listed here, and isn’t listed in the project to-do list, please open an issue on the project’s GitHub repository.