In March 2025, GOPC and the Ohio REALTORS released Housing Ohio: Tools for Development, a toolkit to promote new housing production and infill development in Ohio through pre-approved plan programs. The book includes free building plans and guidance for communities on developing local pre-approval programs.
A pre-approval program offers a portfolio of pre-reviewed architectural designs that are ready for expedited permitting. By eliminating the need for repetitive design reviews, pre-approval programs create a streamlined pathway for development that benefits both developers and local governments.
The Pre-Approval Network
Since Housing Ohio’s release, GOPC has seen an uptick in interest around the state in developing pre-approval programs. Doing so is no small feat though. Creating a program involves heavy inter-departmental coordination, public engagement, and design development. To provide resources to communities undertaking this effort, GOPC launched the Pre-Approvals Network in January. Its membership includes representatives from 12 cities who actively developing pre-approval programs. The Network meets every 8 weeks to share updates, hear from speakers, and troubleshoot implementation issues. Several cities are expected to bring programs online this year.
What are Ohio Cities Doing?
Akron and the Summit County Land Bank are partnering on the Made in Akron program to develop six housing designs that fit existing neighborhood context and provide more housing choices to residents. The designs are currently under review and will ready for use this summer.
Cincinnati announced BuildReady in March, a program designed to increase missing middle housing. The city will host a design competition for 2, 3, and 4-unit buildings, then create six pre-approved plans and construct a demonstration project. The design competition is expected to launch in May.
Cleveland Heights hosted a design competition for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in 2024 with the intent to have the winning designs pre-approved by the Architectural Board of Review. The city has conducted additional community engagement and education around ADUs and is working through zoning amendments to allow them.
Dayton is on track to be the first city in Ohio to pre-approve the Housing Ohio plans. The building department is reviewing the plans for compliance with local building codes.
Hamilton has developed and pre-approved several plans in conjunction with the Build Back the Block initiative. 10 homes are under construction now, with the first expected to be completed this month.
Lima has pre-approved the Housing Ohio plans as part of their Build-Ready program to accelerate housing development and neighborhood revitalization. The program launched on April 20th, 2026.
Toledo received a PRO (Pathways to Removing Obstacles) Housing grant to develop a pre-approval program with 10 housing designs. The city is also working to pre-approve the Housing Ohio plans.
Zanesville has been operating its pre-reviewed program since 2023 and can turn around building permits within a few days. To date, 15 developers have utilized the plans, with 17 pre-approved designs constructed in 2024.
Stay tuned as these programs are launched over the next year! In the meantime, visit www.housingoh.org to download the Housing Ohio toolkit and plans.