Zoning can be a helpful tool to support thoughtful community development — or a cudgel to curb it through a tangled web of regulation.

Why it matters: Columbus leaders want to right past wrongs and better position the city for future growth via its first major zoning code overhaul in generations.

• Development remains the defining long-term issue of a capital city looking to improve material conditions for its 900,000 residents and the 1 million more expected to move to the region by 2050.
• A planned rewrite of the Columbus zoning code will go a long way toward spurring badly-needed housing construction, improving transit options and developing "walkable" neighborhoods, city leaders say.

State of play: The zoning code regulates what can be built on various properties, with rules dictating everything from the construction of massive apartment towers to landscaping standards, parking requirements and dumpster locations.

Yes, but: The existing code is panned by critics as a relic from an era when discriminatory city policies imposed segregated neighborhoods and helped build infrastructure projects on top of minority communities.

What they're saying: The city has since ended policies like redlining, Zone In Columbus program manager Kevin Wheeler says, but the code remains a headache for planning officials and developers alike.

• The current code is a "barrier" to achieving the "vibrant, equitable community we aspire to be," Wheeler, who is leading this overhaul project, wrote in a recent report.
• "It's also difficult to use, creating a heavy reliance on project-by-project negotiations, variances and rezoning to accommodate even simple projects."

One example: Most neighborhoods enforce height limits on any properties facing the street, restricting the construction of taller mixed-use properties that could provide denser housing, job centers and entertainment hubs.

What's happening: Columbus has already highlighted 62 main corridors throughout the city with growth potential via more favorable zoning rules, including West Broad Street, Cleveland Avenue and Bethel Road.

What's next: A series of community forums are planned for the coming months and the public will have a chance to review a draft code later this year.

• City Council is expected to vote on a new code in spring 2024.
• The project will focus initially on the main corridors mentioned above, but the code will eventually apply to the whole city.

Community forum details

More than 25% of downtown Columbus' surface area is dedicated to parking lots or garages, per analysis by the Parking Reform Network.

Why it matters: A parking-centric downtown offers little space for developing other public needs like additional housing.

State of play: Reducing car dependency remains a top priority for downtown residents, a city-commissioned survey found last year.

• The city's new Downtown Strategic Plan calls for improving public transit options and replacing some surface parking lots with higher-density garages.

A Columbus man pleaded guilty to negligent storage of a firearm after his child fired a loaded gun found between couch cushions.

• The case is the first under the city's new gun control ordinance. (Dispatch)

🍽 Bubbly Hall, a new dining hall, opens today in New Albany with seven dining options ranging from Somali cuisine to barbecue. (614 Magazine)

🏛 New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg is suing U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Urbana) for a "brazen and unconstitutional attack" on the investigation into former President Trump. (Axios)

📕 Local poet Maggie Smith's new memoir, "You Could Make This Place Beautiful," explores her self-discovery through moments of personal loss. (Columbus Monthly)

🚂 A former legislative aide to politicians representing East Palestine faces allegations of pocketing donations meant to assist the village's residents following the February train derailment. (Cleveland.com)

The pandemic has changed the way we dine, from curbside pickup and more takeout options to shorter store hours.

Yes, but: One change — QR codes sending patrons online to view meal options, replacing some restaurants' physical menus — has polarized customers, Axios' Kelly Tyko reports.

• Many, many people aren't fans of them, per an informal national Axios survey of pandemic changes at stores and restaurants.
• "Savoring the menu is an important [part] of the dining experience," one diner from Illinois wrote. "I have given up two favorite places because their menu was such. False efficiency."

📬 Weigh in: Do you love or hate QR code menus? We want to hear from diners, servers and restaurateurs. Hit reply.

• We'll include the best responses in a future newsletter.

💼 Check out who's hiring now.

1. Director, Commercial Excellence (ATS Business Model) at ATS.
2. Sr. Director, MSAT and Operations at Mix Talent.
3. Principal at Accel.

Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.

Hiring? Post a job.

If you want a cheap opportunity to catch the Buckeyes, Saturday's noon spring game has you covered.

• Tickets start at just $7.
• You can also watch on the Big Ten Network or listen to 97.1 FM.

State of play: The game will feature a fresh roster and a new play-caller on the sidelines, the Dispatch reports.

What a perfect day to showcase your expansive vocabulary and spelling prowess.

What's happening: In honor of National Scrabble Day, we've assembled a list of high-scoring Columbus-themed words to boost both your points and city pride:

• Pizza: 25 (thin crust only)
• Hockey: 18
• Jack: 17 (Hanna or Nicklaus, your call)
• Champs: 15
• Bucks: 13
• Annex: 12
• Zoo: 12
• Topiary: 12
• Buff: 12 ("Arnold" is, sadly, not playable)
• Capital: 11
• Doodah: 11

Of note: Don't worry — all words were verified using the official Scrabble dictionary.