OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Columbus City Council Housing Update and Zoning Discussion - February 17, 2026

Meeting Portal — Tuesday, February 17, 2026
BodyColumbus, Indiana
SessionMeeting Portal
DateTuesday, February 17, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:04:17

Transcript — Verbatim
0:19

That's a bad school to story.

0:22

You're a good one.

0:24

Good evening, everyone.

0:26

Yeah.

0:28

It's six o'clock, so we'll go ahead and call this February.

0:37

First item on the agenda is indication followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:43

Jay's going to lead this.

0:48

Heavenly Father, create everything good and all sorts of wisdom we gather today as servants of this community.

0:55

Grateful for the trust in place to buy our neighbors.

0:58

Grant us clear minds and humble hearts as we seek to do what is just and right.

1:02

Amen.

1:24

Real quick, please.

1:26

Chris Martell.

1:26

Here.

1:27

Elaine Hilbert.

1:29

Jerome Glau.

1:30

Ken Anderson.

1:33

Frank Miller.

1:34

Jay Voice, Josh Burnett, Tom Dell, Grace Kessler.

1:40

We have six present.

1:42

And it's not online.

1:45

So we have a quorum.

1:46

All right.

1:47

I have the minutes from our February 3rd meeting for your approval.

1:51

So moved.

1:54

All those in favor say aye.

1:56

Aye.

1:57

Any opposed?

1:58

And if they're approved.

2:01

We have no old business.

2:03

We have no new business tonight.

2:05

But what we do have is a housing update and discussion.

2:10

Which is going to be led by Jake.

2:15

Just you by yourself.

2:17

I think so.

2:17

Oh okay.

2:22

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to be here tonight and to give you an update on our housing.

2:27

Um, what I thought I would do is do a little refresher on the uh housing study that was done in this fall of 2024 and kind of just go over some of the highlights of that.

2:39

Um, and then I would jump into what some of the outcomes and outputs we saw from 2025 with housing and uh some of the programs and things, uh, and then look at 2026 and kind of what's on the agenda for 2026 and some of the things we're working on.

2:54

So if we go to the next the first slide, uh if we kind of just refresh ourselves on the on the summary of the findings, um the main thing here takeaway is 3600 housing units need to be created uh between 2024 and 2035.

3:13

So I think that's important as we kind of start to think about some of these other findings and our goals.

3:18

So kind of put things in perspective.

3:21

We need to have a moderate increase in density uh across the city to meet uh our housing demand, uh looking, you know, not just always doing greenfield development, but looking at density within our existing neighborhoods and infill housing.

3:36

Um we need to have a variety of housing options, not just rental, uh not just home ownership, but we need a variety of those different types of housing options.

3:46

We also have an aging population, and because we have an aging population, we need to ensure that our housing is adaptable uh and we're creating housing that meets people where they are in their life.

3:57

So we need to continue to preserve our existing housing uh because uh that also ensures that our neighborhoods are stable.

4:06

So if we have good solid housing, our neighborhoods are thriving and are prosperous.

4:13

So and I think this last one's important.

4:17

So as we look at housing, it's not just creating units, it's not just creating um windows and doors and things like that.

4:27

It's an economic development tool.

4:29

And so if we look at housing through the lens of economic development, uh we recognize we have jobs, uh we have uh support our employers and our employees, so it's a it's a different lens if we use that, but we also need to also think about housing as quality of place and quality of life.

4:46

Um, and so I'll challenge us to think through that, and we'll talk a little bit about how we're doing some of that.

4:52

So if we go to the next one, there are seven goals that we've created as part of the housing study.

5:00

I mentioned preserving our existing housing stock in our neighborhoods.

5:04

So I mentioned that one.

5:07

Supporting a variety of different housing models and approaches that connect to our community.

5:13

Again, we're not just trying to create 3,600 units, we're trying to create a quality of place for our city and our residents.

5:22

So this is interesting, creating ways to share risks and to create uh housing variety at different point price points.

5:29

Um we're not just creating market rate, we need to think about attainable housing, affordable housing across the entire spectrum at different price points.

5:37

And again, whether that's home ownership or rental.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Housing and Development████████████████████████████████████████40%
Zoning and Land Use██████████████████████22%
Procedural█████████████13%
Affordable Housing████████8%
Homelessness███████7%
Community Engagement██████6%
Technology and Innovation██2%
Zoning And Land Use██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Columbus City Council Housing Update and Zoning Discussion - February 17, 2026

The Columbus City Council met on February 17, 2026, at 6:00 PM with six members present. The meeting focused on a detailed housing update from staff members Jake and Jeff, covering progress towards the city's 2035 housing goals, current programs, and a major upcoming revision to zoning regulations to support more diverse housing types. Public comments addressed funding, the need for real estate expertise on boards, and the pace of regulatory changes.

Consent Calendar

  • The council unanimously approved the minutes from the February 3, 2026 meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Brad Davis (National Road) asked about the spending status of the $500,000 federal grant for the homelessness initiative and the plan after the funds are exhausted. Staff responded that approximately $250,000 had been spent in 2025, with the remainder expected to be used in 2026, and that continued funding would be sought.
  • Greg (South Drive, realtor) raised several points: (1) thanked Jeff for mentioning House Bill 1001, which the Indiana Association of Realtors supports and expects to pass; (2) questioned whether ADUs added to rental properties are properly assessed at the 2% rental tax rate, suggesting potential underpayment; (3) argued that housing is one of the top three concerns in Columbus and that the city should include real estate professionals on relevant boards and commissions to bring data and expertise to decision-making.
  • Cole Bennett (north side of Columbus) asked whether the city is on track to meet its goal of 3,600 new housing units by 2035 and expressed concern about the slow pace of zoning ordinance changes, noting that recent council agendas had little business. Council members and staff responded that the zoning rewrite is complex and on schedule for completion this year, and that development activity is steady.

Discussion Items

  • Housing Update (Jake, City Staff): Jake presented a refresher on the 2024 housing study, which identified a need for 3,600 new housing units by 2035. Key goals include preserving existing housing, supporting a variety of housing types and price points, promoting infill and density, and treating housing as an economic development and quality-of-life tool. He reviewed 2025 outputs: the PAC program (Providing Affordable Construction and Transformation) approved 8 new homes (2 completed), the CHIP program (owner-occupied rehab) assisted 28 homes, and a partnership with the Columbus Housing Authority rehabbed 24 rental homes—including one instance where a new HVAC system reduced a resident's electric bill by two-thirds. Two affordable housing developments broke ground in 2025: Hawk Creek Meadows (64 units) and Flats on 14th (110 units). The 2026 pipeline includes 10 North (120 units, under construction) and Taylor Uptown (52 units, spring start). The homelessness initiative with United Way of Bartholomew County reported preventing homelessness for 192 individuals, permanently housing 136 individuals, with 96% retaining housing, 62% increasing income or obtaining a job, and 72% accessing health care. A permanent supportive housing project is being developed through the Indiana Permanent Supportive Housing Institute. A partnership with Purdue University was announced to apply for a Capital One Foundation grant promoting innovative homeownership; if selected, the city could receive $200,000 for concept refinement and potentially $4.6 million for implementation, focusing on factory-built homes to reduce costs by 25%. Finally, Jake noted that the redevelopment commission is preparing the former county garage site for residential development.
  • Zoning Regulation Update (Jeff, Planning Department): Jeff explained that the current zoning ordinance handles single-family and large apartment complexes well but does not adequately address middle housing types (e.g., 3-12 unit buildings, cottage courts). The planning department is conducting an in-house, comprehensive rewrite of the zoning code to create more flexible categories and processes for these smaller projects, including reducing parking requirements, adjusting lot sizes, and adding new zoning districts. The effort aims to reduce the need for Board of Zoning Appeals variances and public hearing time for such projects. Jeff confirmed that the ADU allowance has been well received, with all applications approved, primarily in the county. The zoning changes are expected to go through Plan Commission as a steering committee, public input, and formal adoption by the end of 2026. He also noted that House Bill 1001 in the state legislature, if passed, would align with many of the proposed changes. Council member Chris expressed support for clarity and flexibility in the regulations.

Key Outcomes

  • No formal votes were taken on housing or zoning matters. The council received the housing update and zoning preview as informational.
  • The council directed staff to share the presentation and maps with all council members, including those absent.
  • A public interest form for boards and commissions is now available online on the clerk's page; citizens can submit to be considered for future openings.
  • The council acknowledged the ongoing work on zoning revisions and the housing pipeline, with the goal of completing regulatory changes by the end of 2026.
  • The next council meeting is scheduled for March 3, 2026, with anticipated business items.

Meeting Transcript

That's a bad school to story. You're a good one. Good evening, everyone. Yeah. It's six o'clock, so we'll go ahead and call this February. First item on the agenda is indication followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Jay's going to lead this. Heavenly Father, create everything good and all sorts of wisdom we gather today as servants of this community. Grateful for the trust in place to buy our neighbors. Grant us clear minds and humble hearts as we seek to do what is just and right. Amen. Real quick, please. Chris Martell. Here. Elaine Hilbert. Jerome Glau. Ken Anderson. Frank Miller. Jay Voice, Josh Burnett, Tom Dell, Grace Kessler. We have six present. And it's not online. So we have a quorum. All right. I have the minutes from our February 3rd meeting for your approval. So moved. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? And if they're approved. We have no old business. We have no new business tonight. But what we do have is a housing update and discussion. Which is going to be led by Jake. Just you by yourself. I think so. Oh okay. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to be here tonight and to give you an update on our housing. Um, what I thought I would do is do a little refresher on the uh housing study that was done in this fall of 2024 and kind of just go over some of the highlights of that. Um, and then I would jump into what some of the outcomes and outputs we saw from 2025 with housing and uh some of the programs and things, uh, and then look at 2026 and kind of what's on the agenda for 2026 and some of the things we're working on. So if we go to the next the first slide, uh if we kind of just refresh ourselves on the on the summary of the findings, um the main thing here takeaway is 3600 housing units need to be created uh between 2024 and 2035. So I think that's important as we kind of start to think about some of these other findings and our goals. So kind of put things in perspective. We need to have a moderate increase in density uh across the city to meet uh our housing demand, uh looking, you know, not just always doing greenfield development, but looking at density within our existing neighborhoods and infill housing. Um we need to have a variety of housing options, not just rental, uh not just home ownership, but we need a variety of those different types of housing options. We also have an aging population, and because we have an aging population, we need to ensure that our housing is adaptable uh and we're creating housing that meets people where they are in their life. So we need to continue to preserve our existing housing uh because uh that also ensures that our neighborhoods are stable. So if we have good solid housing, our neighborhoods are thriving and are prosperous. So and I think this last one's important. So as we look at housing, it's not just creating units, it's not just creating um windows and doors and things like that. It's an economic development tool.

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