Columbus City Council Opens Historic Housing Bond Hearings With Pledge for Transparency

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Columbus City Council on Wednesday kicked off a series of public hearings on how to spend the $500 million affordable housing bond approved by voters in November, with leaders vowing a more open and inclusive process than in the past.

Council President Shannon Harden opened the standing-room-only hearing by acknowledging the historic nature of the bond, the largest affordable housing commitment in the city’s history.

“That vote represents more than dollars. It represents trust,” Harden said. “And with that trust comes a responsibility to steward these funds carefully and transparently and in a way that has the greatest possible impact for the people who call Columbus home.”

No votes were taken during the informational hearing. The council heard from administration officials, outside experts and more than two dozen community members who testified about their priorities for the bond money.

Deputy Director Aaron Proer presented the administration’s framework for deploying the bond dollars, outlining four priority areas: continued investment in affordable housing, housing stability, access to opportunity and innovation. The framework is expected to be refined through additional hearings in the coming months.

Paul Williams, from the Center for Public Enterprise, presented revolving loan fund models used in Montgomery County, Maryland, and Atlanta as potential strategies for Columbus. Council members expressed interest in exploring such innovative financing mechanisms.

Council staff also shared results from a survey of more than 500 residents. More than a third of respondents said they want deeply affordable housing, a quarter focused on high utility costs and homelessness, and 70% said they want housing near transit.

The survey results will be posted publicly, officials said.

Community members who testified urged the council to fund emerging and minority developers, support co-housing models, provide supportive housing for people with disabilities and prioritize transit-oriented development along the LinkUS corridor. Several speakers raised concerns about displacement risks as new transit lines are built.

Councilmember Tiarara Ross, who chairs the housing committee, said the hearing was the beginning of an ongoing conversation, not a one-time check-the-box exercise.

“We will look back at this time 10, 15, 20 years from now and ask ourselves: Were we bold enough? Did we stretch enough? Were we strategic enough? Did we bring enough people into the process?” Ross said. “Did we use this opportunity to build generational wealth in our community?”

Harden said she wants to see the city expand its circle of partners to include minority and emerging developers, faith-based institutions, educational institutions and nonprofits that own land.

“I want us to be laser focused on preventing displacement, whether driven by rising rents or skyrocketing property taxes or a lack of housing supply,” Harden said.

The council plans to hold additional hearings on specific topics as it works through the mechanics of how to allocate the bond money. Ross urged attendees to stay engaged and provided her email address for residents who want to remain part of the conversation.

“We will be able to do this work together,” Ross said. “Thank you all.”

Key moments

Significant

Council President Harden's Opening Remarks

Voters approved a $500 million bond, the largest affordable housing commitment in our city's history.

Significant

Deputy Director Proer's Presentation on Bond Process

We have more than 6,000 income-restricted and protected affordable housing units for those earning below the 80% AMI.

Significant

Paul Williams on Revolving Loan Fund Model

The Laurate at Shady Grove project created 90 affordable units at 50-60% AMI without using federal LIHTC.

Public interest

Tisha Lee's Testimony on Emerging Developers

Too often, black and brown developers, women, small mission-driven operators are excluded not because we lack vision, but because we lack access to the first $50,000 to $100,000.

Contentious

Council Member Ross on State LIHTC Allocation

We see the most demand and the most crunch in central Ohio, but yet there's still this peanut butter spread approach across the entire state.

Full analysis

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Meeting Analysis

City of Columbus — 2026-02-11

Meeting Information

Title: Columbus City Council Affordable Housing Bond Hearing 2/11/26

Parish: City of Columbus

Date: 2026-02-11

Video: Recording

Transcript segments: 4143

Item	Description	Action	Vote Status
Affordable Housing Bond Package Overview	Council President Harden opened the hearing on the $500 million affordable housing bond approved by voters in November 2025, emphasizing transparency and community input.	Hearing held to gather public input; framework presented by Deputy Director Aaron Proer.	No vote taken
Administration's Framework for Bond Dollars	Deputy Director Aaron Proer presented the administration's framework for deploying the bond dollars, including four priority areas: continue investing in affordable housing, housing stability, access to opportunity, and innovation.	Framework presented for discussion; further hearings planned.	No vote taken
Innovative Financing Models Presentation	Paul Williams from Center for Public Enterprise presented revolving loan fund models from other cities, such as Montgomery County, MD, and Atlanta, as potential strategies for Columbus.	Presentation given; council expressed interest in exploring such models.	No vote taken
Survey Results on Housing Priorities	Jessica from council staff presented top-line results from a survey of over 500 residents: more than a third want deeply affordable housing, a quarter focused on high utility costs and homelessness, and 70% want housing near transit.	Survey results shared; will be posted publicly.	No vote taken
Public Testimony from Residents and Stakeholders	Multiple community members and organization representatives testified, advocating for funding for emerging developers, co-housing models, supportive housing for people with disabilities, and transit-oriented development.	Testimony heard; council committed to ongoing engagement.	No vote taken

$500 million affordable housing bond approved by voters in November 2025.
Approximately $50 million per year expected to be sold and deployed from the bond.
Previous bonds (2019 and 2022) leveraged $1.4 billion in total investment from $200 million spent.
Over 6,000 income-restricted affordable housing units created to date.

Need for deeply affordable housing (below 30% AMI).
High utility costs and growing homelessness.
Desire for housing near transit and amenities.
Support for nonprofit-led housing with wraparound services.
Inclusion of people with disabilities and intergenerational housing.

Concerns about transparency and access for emerging and minority developers.
Tension between pairing bond dollars with state/federal programs (like LIHTC) versus creating independent local programs.
Need for deeply affordable housing (below 30% AMI) versus higher AMI levels.
Risk of displacement along new transit corridors (LinkUS).

Housing Division

Presented framework for $500 million bond deployment.
Reported over 6,000 affordable units created from previous bonds.
Noted plans to increase application rounds from two to four per year.
Hiring new staff to increase capacity and transparency.

Council to post survey results and one-pager publicly.
Council to continue engagement with community through additional hearings.
Administration to explore revolving loan fund models and report back.
Council to consider allocating bond funds for pre-development capital for emerging developers.
Council to advocate for equitable LIHTC allocation from the state.