City and County Officials Announce Competition to Address Housing Affordability
Mayor Andrew J. Ginther, City Councilmember Shayla Favor,
Franklin County Commissioners President Kevin Boyce, and Franklin County
Treasurer Cheryl Brooks Sullivan unveiled a housing design competition today,
Next Home 2021, inviting architects, designers and builders to submit design
concepts to address housing access and affordability in central Ohio. The goal
of the competition is to develop new, replicable strategies and high-quality
housing solutions to increase access to housing for all residents.
“Finding creative ways to encourage housing that is
affordable to everyone is not just the right thing to do,” said Mayor Andrew J.
Ginther. “It helps the region remain competitive in attracting and retaining
businesses.”
To address housing cost as an equity issue, the City of
Columbus and Franklin County committed funding to the Community Land Trust in
2019. The Trust holds the land on which a home is built as a community asset,
and guarantees the affordability of homes on the lots for future residents. Homeowners
own the home but lease the lot from the Trust. The competition will help
address the pressing need of housing affordability by constructing additional
homes for the Trust portfolio using the winning design proposals.
“Innovation and creativity will be essential to helping
address our region’s critical need for more affordable housing,” said
Councilmember Shayla Favor, chair of City Council’s Housing Committee. “The
Central Ohio Community Land Trust is a phenomenal partner in the Next Home
competition as homes constructed for the portfolio will remain affordable for
future generations.”
The competition is sponsored by the Neighborhood Design
Center (NDC), in partnership with Central Ohio Community Improvement
Corporation (COCIC), the City of Columbus Land Redevelopment Division, American
Institute of Architects (AIA) Columbus and Building Industry Association (BIA)
of Central Ohio. Next Home 2021 challenges designers and builders to submit
adaptable design concepts and will conclude with two-buyer ready prototypes of
the winning designs.
“Affordable housing is the bedrock of a thriving and vibrant
community,” said Franklin County Commissioner President Kevin L. Boyce. “We
must think creatively on ways to address our housing needs. The partnership between
The Next Home Housing Design Competition and our COCIC is the kind of
collaboration that can help bridge the wealth gap in Central Ohio.”
Entrants will submit a design proposal for a housing
solution that can be adapted and built in two Franklin County communities:
Hilltop (Columbus) and the City of Whitehall. The solutions must each be
buildable for a construction budget of $170,000, or less. A jury consisting of
competition stakeholders, community representatives, builders, and unaffiliated
design professionals, will review submissions and select one winner.
Information about registration can be found at https://nexthome2021.org/.
“When we launched the Central Ohio Community Land Trust in
2019, it was our goal to uplift changing neighborhoods by providing long-term
stability for residents,” said Franklin County Treasurer Cheryl Brooks
Sullivan, who chairs the Franklin County Land Bank. “The Next Home Affordable
Housing Design Competition is inviting creative solutions to our efforts to
boost homeownership and our community’s supply of affordable housing. I find
that very inspiring.”
“The Next Home 2021 competition truly highlights the power
of partnership. No entity can address the complexities of housing affordability
alone, and NDC is proud to be part of this joint effort. Through this
collaboration, we’re excited to make an impact on housing access for all in
Central Ohio. With our partners and the ideas we receive from the talented
design teams, we hope to reach meaningful solutions for the worsening housing
crisis. With consideration for the unique conditions of our diverse
neighborhoods, and the input of communities and stakeholders, the competition
will discover creative ways to stabilize housing for everyone,” said Isabella
Gould, NDC Executive Director.
“AIA Columbus is committed to healthy and equitable
communities including accessible and affordable housing. Architects are
leaders in creating the built environment and are uniquely positioned to design
solutions that create neighborhoods where housing is within reach for more
citizens,” said Aleks Daskalov, President AIA Columbus. “Through creative
and sustainable building techniques we can lower construction and utility
costs, therefore lowering the threshold to rent or own a home. AIA Columbus
is proud to be a part of this design competition and looks forward to
collaborating with the Neighborhood Design Center, city and county leaders, and
other designers and building professionals to improve the lives of our fellow
citizens and neighbors.”
“Housing availability and affordability are persistent
challenges in central Ohio. The BIA is pleased to work with the City, County
and other project partners to look for new approaches that can move the needle
in a significant way on affordability. We view today's announcement as a pilot
project that could scale up to hundreds of different lots that are part of land
bank holdings in the City and County if successful. The need for more housing
at lower price points has never been more apparent - we owe it to the community
to try new approaches like this,” said Jon Melchi, Executive Director, BIA of
Central Ohio.”