04/29/2024

APA Ohio Responds to Ohio Housing Bills

Read the letter of support

To learn more about the bills created by the Senate Select Committee on Housing, click here.

Chair Reynolds, Ranking Member Craig, and members of the Senate Select Committee on Housing, 

The American Planning Association, Ohio Chapter (APA Ohio) commends your efforts to address housing issues across our state and implores your continued emphasis on comprehensive planning and zoning reform as a foundation for thriving and resilient communities.

APA Ohio’s 1,200+ membership of planning practitioners, elected officials, and allied professions,  spans rural, suburban, and urban communities across our state – all of which are deeply impacted by an aging housing stock and rising housing costs. Ohio’s planners utilize long-term visioning, data-driven expertise, and extensive public engagement to navigate their communities through change and further the quality of life for all. Because we plan, Ohioans can envision a future housing landscape with abundant, diverse, and affordable living options.

We applaud the extensive hearings by this Committee around the state and the recent release of the Senate Select Committee on Housing 2024 Official Report. APA Ohio stands at the ready to mobilize our talented membership and our extensive national network as the Ohio Legislature moves forward in consideration of planning-related recommendations. In particular, APA Ohio:

• Supports the development of a resource toolkit to guide local decision makers in identifying innovative, pro-housing strategies which will allow a community to develop in a manner consistent with its goals and objectives;

• Supports initiatives aimed at providing technical assistance for zoning code and housing policy reform; 

• Supports initiatives aimed at providing financial incentives for comprehensive, land use, and other planning efforts; and

• Encourages further legislative action which strengthens the validity and effectiveness of planning across the state of Ohio.

We once again thank the Senate Select Committee on Housing for its leadership on this critical issue facing our state.We hope to be active partners in continuing the great work you have initiated, and we invite your outreach to continue this conversation. 

Sincerely,

Eric Anderson, AICP
APA Ohio President

Christine Dersi Davis, AICP
APA Ohio Executive Director

Please visit the APA Ohio Policy Platform for more information at www.ohioplanning.org/policyplatform.