Duplexes May Help Columbus' Housing Crisis, But Options Are Scant
To meet the Columbus housing crunch, builders could return to the duplex solution. But their options to build are limited.
Joshua M. Bernstein, Columbus Monthly
Updated June 29, 2026, 7:41 p.m. ET
Growing up in Wadsworth, Ohio, an Akron suburb founded in 1814, Carlie Boos was typically a few steps from family. She lived in a duplex with her parents, and her cousins rented the connected next-door unit. Extra eyes came in handy. “I remember my mom banging on the neighbor’s door and saying, ‘I’ve got to run to the store. Keep an eye on Carlie,’” says Boos, executive director of the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio. “It was lovely, and it was family.”
Neighborly familial bonds are scarcer today. In and around Columbus, prewar duplexes—two independent dwelling units beneath one roof—and larger multifamily housing were integrated into older neighborhoods and municipalities including Victorian Village, Old North Columbus, Upper Arlington and Westerville, plus the capital’s urban core. But a 1954 zoning change prohibited multifamily housing across parts of Columbus. Policies rooted in racial discrimination prioritized single-family homes, and car-centric suburbs expanded outward, no need to share walls.
…