Cincinnati Approves Camp Washington Zoning Changes
The Planning Commission rezoned four sections of the neighborhood covering 277 properties to ease housing construction.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Commercial
Live Poll
Should your neighborhood's zoning make it easier to build new housing?
The Cincinnati Planning Commission approved zoning changes to four sections of Camp Washington on Friday, affecting 277 properties. The changes allow housing and forbid tow lots and gas stations in the affected areas.
Why it matters
Many Camp Washington residential areas were zoned in ways that made it difficult to build or rebuild housing, and much of the neighborhood was zoned industrial when the first zoning codes were drawn up in 1924. The new designations aim to make it easier to build and maintain homes in Cincinnati's neighborhoods.
The Planning Commission changed 277 properties across four Camp Washington sections, where CWURC counted 18 tow lots. The extraction does not specify how many properties will actually change use under the new designations.
The players
Cincinnati Planning Commission
The city body that reviews and approves zoning changes within Cincinnati's neighborhoods.
CWURC
The Camp Washington neighborhood group that counted 18 tow lots in the area.
The details
Two areas around Colerain Avenue were zoned Commercial Community-Auto Oriented, which does not allow housing on first floors, and two other areas were zoned General Manufacturing, which does not allow housing at all. The approved changes apply Urban Mix-Middle Housing and other designations, and the zoning changes do not require owners to change current land uses.
Timeline
1924: First zoning codes drawn up, with much of Camp Washington zoned industrial.
1980s: Neighborhood groups began efforts to fix zoning issues.
Friday, November 6, 2026: Cincinnati Planning Commission approved the zoning changes.
Legacy Zoning Correction
The 2026 rezoning reverses industrial designations set when Cincinnati drew its first zoning codes in 1924, which had left much of Camp Washington unable to host new housing. The change follows neighborhood advocacy that began in the 1980s to fix those inherited zoning problems.
Property owners in the four Camp Washington sections must take action to change land use before the new zoning restrictions take effect. Residents may see changes in what can be built on or operated from nearby lots, including the prohibition of tow lots and gas stations.
The takeaway
Property owners in the affected Camp Washington sections should check how the new designations apply to their parcels before changing land use. Residents can track how the zoning shift affects housing availability in the neighborhood over time.
Further reading
Explore more commercial real estate news and zoning developments in Cincinnati.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Cincinnati Public Radio.
Live Poll
Should your neighborhood's zoning make it easier to build new housing?
