The analysis, prepared by former Salt Lake City Mayor and U.S. Rep. Ben McAdams and Government Finance Officers Association researcher Kyle Wedberg, estimates that about 66 square miles of the city’s 220-square-mile area are publicly owned and tax-exempt. The city itself owns roughly 10 square miles, while Franklin County, Columbus City Schools and the state are among the other major public landholders. Hospitals, universities and nonprofits own more than nine additional square miles, the report says.

Not all of that land is suitable for housing. Airports, university campuses and the state fairgrounds are among the properties that would be difficult or inappropriate to redevelop, McAdams and Wedberg acknowledged. They argue, however, that governments can take a closer look at their holdings and use suitable sites to guide growth and help finance housing.

One proposed focus is land near LinkUS stations, where the city and the Central Ohio Transit Authority already own property. The report suggests that some park-and-ride sites could accommodate housing above parking, and that mixed-use development could be considered along planned transit extensions on East Main Street and West Broad Street. The city-owned Beacon Building and COTA-owned former Greyhound station are among downtown properties near transit investments that have remained unused for years.

The report also proposes turning some of Columbus’ $500 million affordable-housing bond, approved by voters in 2025, into a revolving loan fund. Early financing could help projects get underway; repayments would then replenish the fund for future loans rather than permanently using up that portion of the bond money.

A third recommendation is to create a public asset corporation or assign the work to an existing organization. Downtown Columbus Inc. was raised as one possibility during a briefing. Such an entity could help coordinate projects and structure deals while the city or another public owner retains the land, leases it to a developer or holds an equity stake.

That approach differs from simply selling public property and giving up any future benefit, Wedberg said. He cited Atlanta’s Ponce City Market, a large redevelopment built on a former municipal property. The site was later valued at more than $1 billion; Wedberg said the city might have captured additional value by retaining an ownership share.

Atlanta created a Housing Strike Force in 2022 to bring public landowners together and advance housing projects. McAdams said a small team there helped address obstacles holding up more than 50 projects, while public ownership arrangements helped preserve affordability requirements and kept a share of long-term value in public hands.

Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin said he became interested in the approach after visiting Atlanta in 2023. The report’s authors said Columbus has particular advantages, including the housing bond and the planned LinkUS network, but also faces a difficult federal funding environment and a slowdown in some development proposals.

The recommendations are options for the city to consider, not an announced development program. Any effort would require decisions about which properties are appropriate, how community priorities shape projects and how affordability and public returns would be protected over time.