Know a place the city should look at?
Columbus is reviewing a citywide zoning proposal. Some ravines, wooded areas, streams, and other unusual places may be inside areas marked for zoning changes. You know your neighborhood better than a citywide map does. Please help us find places that deserve a closer look.
The city is taking public comments through Oct. 24, 2026 and says it will review them before finalizing its proposal.
Just do this
- Open the city’s zoning map ↗.
Find a ravine, wooded area, stream, or other place you know and care about.
- See a colored box over it?
That means it is pegged for rezoning in Phase 2. Tell us where it is. An address, nearby intersection, or screenshot is plenty. If you are unsure whether the box matters, send it anyway.
- Tell us why that place matters.
One sentence is enough. Email the location and your observation to jeff.frontz.614@gmail.com. We can check the zoning details and help get appropriate feedback to the city. Please send it to us even if you have already submitted feedback directly to the city. We want to know about areas of concern so they can be reviewed collectively and, where appropriate, supported with additional comments or outreach.
No homework required: You do not need to identify the zoning district, figure out whether a colored area was changed in Phase 1 or proposed for Phase 2, or write a formal comment. The useful part is your knowledge of the place.
This is an independent community guide, not a City of Columbus website. You may also contact the city directly.
Want to look more closely?Optional map walkthrough, examples, and ways to comment directly to the city
You do not have to be a zoning expert.
The Phase 2 proposal covers more than 70,000 parcels. People who know a place firsthand may notice conditions that are easy to miss in a citywide review: steep terrain, mature tree canopy, a stream, awkward lot boundaries, or a transition to nearby homes. Send any promising lead, even if you are not sure which phase or district applies.
Review your neighborhood on the map
A desktop or laptop screen makes it easier to see a whole block. Keep this page open in one tab and open the city’s interactive map in another. The steps below are optional if you want to investigate further yourself.
Find a familiar address
Use the map’s address search, if available, or zoom and pan to a street or landmark you recognize. Zoom out briefly to understand the surrounding blocks, then zoom in to individual properties.
Look at colored areas
See whether a colored area overlaps a place you know. You can use the legend or layer controls to learn more, but you can send the location even if you cannot tell what the color means.
Inspect each place of concern
Click or select a parcel to look for its address and proposed district. If the map offers a way to compare existing and proposed zoning, use it. Read the city’s proposal page when a district label needs more context.
Compare the map with the ground
Think about what you know firsthand. Aerial imagery or a site visit can help show the trees, slopes, water, access, and neighboring uses that a zoning color cannot. Avoid entering private land without permission.
Record the location
Write down the street address, nearest intersection, or parcel number. Record the proposed district if you can see it. A map screenshot with the location marked is useful, but an address and a clear description are enough to start.
Consider an action
If you have investigated the proposal, you can ask the city to omit a parcel from Phase 2, change a district, adjust a boundary, or study a site before proceeding. If it is an adopted Phase 1 district, say that and ask what options remain. You can also simply pass along the location for someone else to investigate.
Two different city links: The interactive zoning map is for examining the proposal; the map survey is for submitting feedback. You can also email the Zone In team directly.
Places worth a closer look
Ravines and water
Ravine slopes, creek headwaters, daylighted streams, drainageways, wetlands, flood-prone ground, or wooded banks that connect to a larger natural area.
Canopy and habitat
Mature tree cover, wooded parcels, connected green corridors, or privately owned land that functions as part of a neighborhood’s natural landscape.
Unusual parcels
Steep, narrow, irregular, inaccessible, or remnant parcels that are unlike the more ordinary lots around them.
Boundaries and transitions
A single lot added at the edge of a larger district, or a proposed district next to a natural area or established residential block where allowed building form deserves scrutiny.
Tell the city (and us!) what you found
For a site-specific concern, identify the location precisely and ask for a specific result. You can use the city’s Phase 2 map survey or email zoningupdate@columbus.gov. Submit by Oct. 24, 2026.
Please also tell us what you found. Whether you submit a city comment yourself or want help preparing one, send the location and your observations to jeff.frontz.614@gmail.com. Knowing about concerns across the city lets us compare them, investigate related issues, and help coordinate additional feedback where useful.
A simple comment outline
Location: Address, parcel number, or nearest intersection.
Proposed zoning: District shown on the Phase 2 map, if known.
What is on the ground: Describe the ravine, slope, stream, canopy, access, or neighborhood context.
Requested change: Identify the parcel or boundary and say whether you want it omitted from Phase 2, assigned a different district, or studied further.
Why: Explain why the proposed zoning is inappropriate for that location; attach a photo or marked map if helpful.
Not sure what to ask for? Send the location and your observations to jeff.frontz.614@gmail.com. We can help investigate the district and prepare a comment. You can also ask the city directly at zoningupdate@columbus.gov.
This page does not collect submissions. You can send us a lead without submitting a city comment yourself; we can investigate it and decide on the appropriate next step.
Check the city’s source documents
- Phase 2 proposal, draft text, map, and surveys
- Interactive Phase 2 zoning map
- Phase 2 map survey
- Official Zone In Columbus home page
The city may change its map or survey interface during review. Use the official proposal page above if a direct link stops working.