Columbus has welcomed 120,000 new residents since 2010, and the city continues to grow, with a projected regional population of 3 million by 2050.
The need for more affordable housing in the city to accommodate this population development may lie in the concept of “gentle density,” which refers to increasing the housing supply in single-family neighborhoods by adding more diverse housing options.
Brandi Braun AL-Issa, CEO of Habitat for Humanity-MidOhio, said she sees the construction of multi-family housing as a step in the right direction when it comes to addressing the housing needs of Columbus residents. The Devon Triangle Project in the city’s Near East Side, which will consist of 14 homes across four triplexes and one duplex, is Habitat Mid-Ohio’s first attempt at a multi-family development.
Multi-family housing, like duplexes or triplexes, adds gentle density to neighborhoods while still maintaining the character of the community. By adding housing types other than single family to Habitat’s repertoire, the organization can increase housing opportunities for more families, while still keeping home ownership at the forefront.
“There is a need to build, build, build, that we need more housing as fast as possible at all price points,” Braun AL-Issa said. “And so we looked at, how can we use our unique model that Habitat has to build, build, build? How can we effectively build more housing in a way that makes sense for Habitat’s model? And I think housing providers, both in the non-profits, affordable and market rate space, are looking at their own business models and own way of operating to figure out how can more housing be brought to the market.”
Habitat for Humanity incorporates a sweat equity model, where families are required to contribute 200 to 250 volunteer hours assisting with the construction of Habitat properties, attending required educational courses and participating in other activities to contribute to the Habitat organization and the local community in order to foster emotional investment in home ownership.
Habitat for Humanity homeowners must pay an affordable monthly mortgage payment, including house payment, homeowner’s insurance and taxes, according to the organization’s MidOhio branch website.
Braun AL-Issa said families who may not want a larger lot to take care of might be more interested in duplex or triplex housing.
“Maybe they're interested in a more dense development, having closer neighbors, not having a big yard to take care of, not having a fence,” Braun AL-Issa said. “We build fence with most of our single family houses. So (multi-family housing is) a new piece that some individuals, some families, may be more interested in. Now, not everybody wants a town home. That's okay. We still are doing single family homes, but I think it's the right thing for the right family or individual.”
Carlie J. Boos, executive director of the research and advocacy non-profit Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio, said that as a country, the U.S. has mastered building single-family homes and large apartment communities, but there is a missing middle piece.
“If you think about it from a human standpoint, duplexes were quintessential historic workforce housing,” Boos said. “There were a lot of people who had lived in a larger apartment building when they were first coming out of school. They're now a little bit older, a little bit more mature, they want something where they can start to feel like they're part of a community and lay down roots while they're still saving up for that down payment. And that was what the duplex really, really served. Or if you flip kind of the other end of the spectrum, you've got empty nesters.”
The Affordable Housing Alliance’s February 2025 Central Ohio Housing Survey found that 78% of residents support “Missing Middle” housing on all residential lots, like duplexes, triplexes and townhomes. The survey also found overwhelming support for zoning reforms that would support the development of gentle density and faster approval on building permits.
Columbus has made significant headway in modernizing its zoning code with the “Zone In” initiative, the first attempt to significantly change the city’s zoning code in 70 years. This spring, the Zone In team plans to present new districts and an updated zoning map to city council for adoption.
“If you look at a map of the entire region, there's huge swaths of our residential neighborhoods where it is still illegal to build a duplex,” Boos said. “Even if it looks exactly like the neighboring home. Even if stylistically, it is fully compatible with the neighborhood, it is still illegal on the books. That's a remnant of this 1950s mentality of what a community should look like, and it no longer matches with what people who live here today want. So that's why we see a lot of communities going through these zoning modernization projects, where it's just a good, healthy touch base.”
The Devon Triangle Project is a test for Habitat to see how multi-family ownership can work in a community and fit into the affordable housing landscape, Braun AL-Issa said. There may be space for multi-family housing to become a bigger part of the organization’s model.
“We have an interest form open, and we are receiving a lot of interest in all of the multi-family units, so that tells me that there is a demand for it, and there will be space for us to build more multi-family dwellings.” Braun AL-Issa said. “Our biggest challenge to doing that is finding and acquiring the land, which can be a really expensive and challenging part of any affordable housing development.”
Habitat acquired the land for the Devon Triangle Project through The Land Bank Center, where very low-cost parcels are reserved for affordable housing and community redevelopment initiatives.
“The city land bank is a critical part of what we're doing, and we very much want to continue that partnership and grow that partnership,” Braun AL-Issa said. “But there's also a finite number of lots available through the city land bank. They can only make available what they have, and so we are trying to also build partnerships with other organizations that would maybe want to, quite frankly, donate the land to us to make it available for affordable housing or sell at a very, very reasonable nonprofit rate.”
In fact, Habitat worked with the city to narrow down prime locations for re-development, and the city suggested Devon Triangle.
Braun AL-Issa said Habitat-MidOhio will continue with the investment the organization is making in Devon Triangle, wanting to avoid doing one “flash in the pan project” and then leaving. AL-Issa said she wants to continue to build community through homes and connections.
“My hope is that it has a reverberating effect in the neighborhood and in the east side from the investments of the homes and the families that will be moving in, which is really what is the fabric of any community or neighborhood, the families, the individuals,” Braun AL-Issa said.
Groundbreaking for the Devon Triangle Project is scheduled for April 23, and real construction is set to begin the first week of May, starting with one duplex and one triplex.
Braun AL-Issa said the goal is to have families move in around the middle of next January. The next phase would include the construction of the remaining three triplexes, which is set to begin in September, with families moving in by July 2027.
