Franklin County, Ohio Planning & Development Feed

Launch-preview feed covering Columbus — the Tier-1 data-center corridor that outscores Phoenix and Austin on intent-weighted B2B search signal per V3.1 geographic analysis. Includes the City of Columbus, unincorporated Franklin County, and the cluster of suburbs driving the Intel Ohio + AWS expansion: Dublin, Hilliard, Worthington, Westerville, Gahanna, Reynoldsburg, Grove City, Upper Arlington, and New Albany (which spans into Licking County).

Demo figures: 61 rezoning applications open · 8 hearings in the next 30 days · 15 decisions in the last 30 days

Last updated: Monday, April 14, 2026, 06:04 UTC. Demo dataset for launch review. Figures are sample records, not a live production feed.

Stat bar

Open rezonings	Upcoming hearings (30d)	Approvals (30d)	Denials (30d)	Active subdivisions	Last updated
61	8	15	2	28	Apr 14, 2026

Upcoming hearings calendar

Date	Body	Top agenda items	Source
Apr 16, 2026	Columbus Development Commission	Z26-034 (Near East Side overlay) · CV26-019 (short-North variance) · 3 subdivision reviews	columbus.gov
Apr 17, 2026	Franklin County Rural Zoning Commission	Z-RZ-2026-011 (Prairie Twp data center) · Z-RZ-2026-014 (Madison Twp)	franklincountyohio.gov
Apr 22, 2026	Columbus City Council	Second reading: Z26-028 (Short North) · First reading: Z26-034	columbus.gov
Apr 23, 2026	Dublin Planning and Zoning Commission	Bridge Park phase IV · Metro Data Center rezoning	dublinohiousa.gov
Apr 30, 2026	Westerville Planning Commission	Polaris mixed-use expansion · Schrock Road industrial rezone	westerville.org
May 5, 2026	Hilliard Planning and Zoning Commission	Cemetery Pike warehouse · North Main Street overlay	hilliardohio.gov
May 12, 2026	New Albany Planning Commission	New Albany International Business Park — data center parcel 24 · School campus rezone	newalbanyohio.org
May 14, 2026	Columbus Development Commission	Final action: Z26-034 · Near East Side overlay adoption	columbus.gov

Recent notable decisions

Date	Applicant	Location	Outcome	Summary
Apr 10	Intel Corp / NABP affiliate	New Albany International Business Park (Franklin side)	Approved with conditions	228-acre industrial expansion parcel supporting Intel Ohio fab; SWIF buffer commitment; 30-ft tree line
Apr 7	NP Limited (Schottenstein Property Group)	Polaris Fashion Place periphery	Approved	9.2-acre mixed-use; 320 units residential + 18k retail
Apr 3	Fortune Management (hyperscaler intermediary)	Prairie Township, SW Franklin	Continued	County Rural Zoning Commission continued for SWIF and substation capacity review
Mar 31	Pulte Homes Ohio	Canal Winchester ring	Approved	244-lot subdivision preliminary plat
Mar 26	M/I Homes	Westerville annexation area	Approved 6–1	186-lot SF rezone from "R-R" to "R-1"

Active rezoning applications

App ID	Filed	Applicant	Project type	Acreage	From → To	Stage
Z26-034	Feb 19	City of Columbus / Near East Side CDC	Overlay (city-initiated)	288.0	City-initiated overlay	Dev Comm Apr 16
Z26-028	Feb 4	Crawford Hoying	Mixed-use	18.6	"CPD" → "CPD-M"	Council Apr 22
Z-RZ-2026-011	Feb 7	Fortune Management	Data center	412.0	"RR" → "M-2"	RZC Apr 17
Z-RZ-2026-014	Feb 10	Midwest Industrial LLC	Industrial	118.3	"RR" → "M-1"	RZC Apr 17
Z26-041	Feb 24	Metro Development (M Ohio)	Data center	220.0	"R" → "M-2"	Dublin PZC Apr 23
Z26-047	Mar 2	Daimler Group	Office / mixed-use	14.2	"AR" → "CPD"	Staff review
Z26-052	Mar 6	M/I Homes	Residential	92.5	"R-1" → "R-2"	Staff review
Z26-058	Mar 11	Continental Building Co.	Multifamily	8.8	"R-3" → "AR-4"	PC May 5
Z-RZ-2026-022	Mar 13	Intel NABP affiliate	Industrial	228.0	NABP parcel 24	Approved Apr 10
Z26-067	Mar 19	NorthPoint Development	Industrial	284.4	"AR" → "M-2"	Intake

4-field wedge highlights — Franklin County / Columbus

Recent conditions of approval

"Applicant shall execute a Sensitive Water Intake Facility (SWIF) buffer agreement with the Village of New Albany and the City of Columbus Department of Public Utilities, establishing a minimum 1,000-foot setback from the aquifer recharge zone. Applicant further commits to quarterly groundwater monitoring for 5 years." — Z-RZ-2026-022, Apr 10, 2026

"Applicant shall contribute $2.4M to the Columbus Department of Transportation for intersection improvements at Beech Road and US-62, payable in two installments tied to certificate of occupancy milestones." — Z26-014, Apr 7, 2026

"Maximum building height shall not exceed 65 feet and architectural treatment of all four facades shall meet the Polaris Area Plan Design Guidelines. Minimum 18% of project area shall be devoted to public open space." — Z26-019, Mar 31, 2026

Notable community objections (last 30 days)

47 residents of the Jefferson Township area submitted written opposition to Fortune Management's 412-acre data center (Z-RZ-2026-011), citing (a) substation siting near residential properties, (b) groundwater drawdown on private wells, (c) peaking-generator noise under inversion conditions.

23 speakers opposed Metro Development's Dublin data-center PAD over SR-161 traffic and the City's 2025 data-center moratorium intent.

Recent staff recommendations

Franklin County Department of Economic Development & Planning staff recommended continuance for Z-RZ-2026-011 pending SWIF documentation and AEP Ohio grid-capacity letter. RZC followed staff recommendation — continued.

City of Columbus staff recommended approval with conditions for the Intel NABP parcel 24 expansion, citing alignment with the NABP Master Plan and applicant's $2.4M ROW contribution. Development Commission voted with staff unanimously.

Recent hearing outcomes

Columbus Development Commission, Apr 2, 2026: 8 items heard over 3h 14m. 6 approved (4 unanimous, 2 with 6–1 splits), 1 continued, 1 withdrawn. Notable: 4-hour public hearing on the Near East Side overlay.

Franklin County RZC, Apr 3, 2026: 5 items, 3 approved, 2 continued. Split 4–3 on a 186-lot subdivision north of Grove City.

Top active developers in Franklin County (last 12 months)

Rank	Applicant	Filings	Typical type	Notable
1	M/I Homes	17	Single-family	Ohio-HQ leader; Columbus ring concentration
2	Pulte Homes Ohio	14	Single-family	Canal Winchester + Delaware County ring
3	Crawford Hoying	9	Mixed-use + office	Short North + Dublin Bridge Park
4	Continental Building Co.	8	Multifamily	Urban core infill
5	Intel / NABP / hyperscaler-adjacent filers (combined)	11	Industrial + data center	The Columbus data-center corridor

Historical decision trends

24-month: applications 42 (Apr 2024) → 68 (Mar 2026), +62% YoY driven by data-center and industrial activity. Approval rate 84% → 89%. Avg days filing-to-decision 68 → 58. Data-center filings: 3 (all 2024) → 19 (full year 2025) → 8 (Q1 2026 alone).

Related counties

• Licking County, OH (Intel fab site + New Albany east)
• Delaware County, OH (north Columbus ring)
• Fairfield County, OH (Lancaster, Pickerington)
• Pickaway County, OH
• Madison County, OH
• Union County, OH

Related glossary pages

• Conditions of approval
• Rezone application
• Planning commission
• Staff recommendation
• Conditional use permit
• General plan amendment

Franklin County planning FAQ

How do I find planning commission meetings in Franklin County?

Columbus — the primary jurisdiction — runs a Development Commission rather than a traditional Planning Commission; it meets monthly at Columbus City Hall. Franklin County's Rural Zoning Commission handles unincorporated areas. Each suburb (Dublin, Hilliard, Westerville, Worthington, Upper Arlington, Gahanna, Reynoldsburg, Grove City) runs its own planning commission. cityminutes aggregates all of them on this page.

Who owns a property in Franklin County?

Franklin County Auditor's office at franklincountyauditor.com maintains parcel records. The production record model joins each rezoning application to its Auditor parcel.

How long does rezoning take in Columbus?

The Columbus Development Commission process averages 76 days from intake to Council final action in the last 12 months. Data-center PADs average 124 days due to SWIF, grid-capacity, and traffic review requirements.

What's the planning department phone number for Columbus?

Columbus Department of Building and Zoning Services: (614) 645-7433. Columbus Planning Division: (614) 645-8610. Franklin County Department of Economic Development & Planning: (614) 525-3094. Always verify at the source.

Why is Columbus such a big data center market?

Intel announced a $20B+ semiconductor fab in Licking County (east of Franklin) in 2022; AWS followed with multi-billion expansion; Microsoft, Google, and Meta have filed or built additional campuses. Per V3.1 analysis, Columbus scored composite rank #10 in intent-weighted B2B search signal and outscored Phoenix and Austin on data-center-specific terms. The activity concentrates in the New Albany International Business Park (NABP) and along SR-161.

How often is this data updated?

Every Monday at 06:00 UTC. Changelog at /planning/oh/franklin/changelog/.

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