Author says 'snob zoning' in some Greater Columbus communities prevent affordable housing

While one might expect the most exclusionary housing policies would be found in right-leaning communities that advocate walls between the United States and Mexico, author Richard Kahlenberg said research suggests most are in politically liberal areas with highly educated people, such as San Francisco.

"That’s one of the astonishing things about housing policy," he said.

The worst forms of exclusionary zoning are along the coasts, said Kahlenberg, noting that has led to class divides as working-class families are shut out from certain neighborhoods.

And it is certainly prevalent in Greater Columbus, he said.

Kahlenberg's latest book is "Excluded: How Snob Zoning, NIMBYism and Class Bias Build the Walls We Don't See."

"Exclusionary zoning is not a victimless crime," Kahlenberg told The Dispatch in a recent interview. "People of good will living in exclusive suburbs don’t realize invisible walls through zoning codes can harm real people."

Kahlenberg, a lecturer at George Washington University in Washington, and a senior fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute, will be a featured speaker at the Columbus Metropolitan Club's panel forum titled: "Is Snob Zoning America's New Redlining?" The event will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 29 at The Ellis, 777 N. 4th St., in Columbus' Italian Village.

In his book, Kahlenberg explores how unaffordable housing is preventing people from moving to what he cals "highly productive cities," such as New York City and San Francisco. He wrote that workers make twice as much in San Jose, California, than Orlando, Florida, but housing costs in San Jose are four times higher.

To that end, he writes in his book's prologue about his "growing recognition that liberalism — the political ideology I was raised in and still am most generally attracted to — has a serious elitism problem that needs correcting."

Kahlenberg cited journalist and commentator Fareed Zakaria's view that while the cardinal sin of the right is racism, the cardinal sin of the modern left is elitism. "As the Democratic Party has shifted in its constituency toward highly educated voters, that has come at some cost," Kahlenberg said.

And exclusionary zoning plays a role in this, Kahlenberg writes. He noted that in most American cities, on three-quarters of residential land, zoning law prohibits multifamily units such as duplexes, triplexes and apartment buildings.

"The problem is particularly acute in Columbus," Kahlenberg said. Columbus has a very high level of economic segregation, people of different socioeconomic groups, and a relatively low level of social mobility, he said.

"Columbus has quite a lot of communities where researchers have documented where exclusionary covenants were adopted and, of course, snob zoning," he said.

In his book, Kahlenberg quotes a Columbus-area developer who told him, "One of the reasons why there's (sic) not affordable housing units in suburbs like Dublin and Hilliard and New Albany is exclusionary zoning." He does not name the developer.

In April, The Dispatch reported how its examination of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Section 8 vouchers and apartment projects financed by low-income housing tax credits found Columbus suburbs were limiting housing options — especially affordable housing in places such as Dublin, Worthington, Upper Arlington and New Albany.

"I think in terms of talking with residents in exclusive communities like Dublin, it's important to emphasize that everyone can win by reducing exclusionary walls," Kahlenberg said. "I talk about how affluent residents are missing out today getting to know people from all different walks of life. That’s what makes life interesting, learning from people different than our own.

"That's true of adults, particularly true for children," he said. "Communities with not a lot of diversity, students are being robbed from a deeper form of learning."

In his book, Kahlenberg writes about Move to PROSPER, now called Families Flourish, a nonprofit that subsidizes rental costs for low-income mothers so they and their families can move into suburbs with safe neighborhoods and good schools.

Amy Klaben, Families Flourish president and CEO, said developers have reached out to her group to discuss housing options for lower-wage workers.

"We're excited about that," said Klaben, who will be on the Columbus Metropolitan Club panel discussion.

Community leaders have discussed lower-cost housing as a way to attract and keep workers who want shorter commutes to their jobs. And the state included $100 million in its biennial budget for a state tax credit program to finance 4,000 new affordable rental units.

The next step is getting the development community and municipalities on board to change zoning so they can have more multifamily units, she said.

"If you want a strong workforce that’s going to be available to work in restaurants and other institutions in the community, having housing that meet those employees' needs is really important," Kahlenberg said.

The city of Columbus is currently revamping is outdated zoning code. One goal is to create areas that allow for more dense housing, especially along major bus transit lines. Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther also has talked to suburban leaders about allowing more affordable housing.

Columbus City Councilmember Shayla Favor, also on Wednesday's panel, said the city has been advancing policies to help people find housing, such as "source-of-income" legislation the council approved in 2021 that says people can't be denied housing if they use Section 8 federal housing vouchers, child support, or other similar income sources as payment.

Favor, who leads City Council's housing committee, said the city plans on a pilot initiative to allow accessory units or smaller buildings on lots for housing for students, older adults, and others. They would be akin to the living spaces that old carriage houses now provide, she said.

"We need more affordable units to come on line much quicker," Favor said.

Kahlenberg said that if central Ohio doesn't do anything about exclusionary zoning, it will become increasingly unaffordable — and that's bad for growth.

"It’s my understanding that Columbus is one of the few regions in Ohio that is growing," he said.

"If you want to attract talent, make the people flourish, having high housing prices is a big deterrent."

mferench@dispatch.com

@MarkFerenchik