Want to stay in the know on everything GOPC? Be sure to give us a follow on Facebook & LinkedIn. These 2 sites will the exclusive home for daily updates all our work on brownfields, legacy cities, transportation & more. www.facebook.com/GreaterOhio linkedin.com/company/greater-ohio/about/

Ohio is a state steeped in history. Our agricultural & industrial past & the 21st century versions of those ways of life, make our state particularly rich in heritage & culture. Many communities across the state hold festivals that build community & celebrate something unique about their place.

The Safe Streets & Roads for All (SS4A) competitive grant program is focused on improving roadway safety for all users by reducing & eliminating serious-injury & fatal crashes through the development, refinement, & subsequent implementation of comprehensive safety action plans.

There have been some positive trends in population growth recently, but new data shows that, as GOPC has previously reported, excluding Central Ohio, Ohio's population would not have seen much, if any growth. www.wosu.org/2026-03-12/n...

Our March Newsletter is hot off the presses. This month's features include updates on the federal ROAD to Housing Act, Congressionally Directed Spending, ODOT's TRAC update, and more. mailchi.mp/greaterohio....

This week, preliminary approval to the draft list of Major New Construction projects for 2026-2029 is expected to be approved, opening up a public comment period providing Ohioans the one and only opportunity to weigh in on major highway construction projects. www.greaterohio.org/blog/2026/3/...

Is your community interested in increasing housing production through pre-approved plans? Come talk with the experts and get your questions answered at Greater Ohio Policy Center’s free monthly office hours, Tuesday, March 24, 2026 at 9:00am. Register at housingoh.org/office-hours

Major property tax overhauls approved by lawmakers last year go into effect today, aiming to bring about $3 billion in relief over the next several months. Still, efforts are underway to potentially eliminate property taxes in Ohio all together. Why doing so could cause irreparable harm to Ohio.

Spring is upon us and we are focusing on what that means for active transportation as we enter the peak seasons for riding, walking, running, and more.

Earlier today, GOPC provided testimony to the House Local Government Committee regarding House Bill 361 - legislation seeking to make important changes to building reviews, local regulations, and zoning. www.greaterohio.org/legislative-...

We know it's hard to believe with the way the weather turned this week, but spring is right around the corner (Friday actually). We will soon see the return of warm weather and ideal conditions for outdoor activity, including cycling, running, and walking.

Is your community interested in increasing housing production through pre-approved plans? Come talk with the experts and get your questions answered at Greater Ohio Policy Center’s free monthly office hours, Tuesday, March 24, 2026 at 9:00am. Register at www.housingoh.org/office-hours

GOPC has been actively tracking the Congressional housing bill known as the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act. The legislation has gone through several iterations within & between the U.S. House of Representatives & U.S. Senate. It's now poised to become law. www.greaterohio.org/blog/2026/3/...

The U.S. Senate has passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act by a vote of 89-10. Among the major provisions of the bill, it would authorize a grant program to help communities establish pattern books to streamline & expediate processes & build more homes. www.banking.senate.gov/imo/media/do...

Reminder: Tomorrow is the deadline for communities seeking capital budget funds for community projects to submit requests to their respective members of the Ohio House and Ohio Senate. Don't miss out on this opportunity.

Housing remains a pressing issue in Ohio. We worked w/ Reinvestment Fund & the City of Akron in 2024 to understand the city’s residential markets & the policies + programs the city needs to create more housing while protecting existing residents www.greaterohio.org/blog/2026/2/...

We were proud to work with the Ohio Realtors in developing the "Housing Ohio Toolkit". Check out this great story below and learn more about how the toolkit can assist your community with infill housing on a scalable model. realtorparty.realtor/homepage/suc...

As Congress is working on hammering out the final details of a bipartisan legislative housing bill, our friends at the @urbaninstitute.bsky.social have a great piece on the three principals of a national housing affordability study. Check it out here ⤵️ www.urban.org/urban-wire/t...

Is your community interested in increasing housing production through pre-approved plans? Come talk with the experts and get your questions answered at Greater Ohio Policy Center’s free monthly office hours, Tuesday, March 24, 2026 at 9:00am. Register at www.housingoh.org/office-hours

The Senate Local Government Committee is meeting this afternoon to hear testimony on Senate Bill 42, the Residential Stability Zone legislation designed to provide local governments permissive authority to adopt property tax relief for long term residents. ⤵️ www.ohiosenate.gov/committees/l...

Lawmakers have opened up the process for communities to request community project funds for possible inclusion in the upcoming 2027-28 capital budget. Those seeking funding from the state must contact legislators' offices by Thursday, March 12. www.greaterohio.org/blog/2026/3/...

Columbus is working on another bike lane project in the city. A new project, slated to begin construction later this year, will include concrete barriers for extra protection separating cyclists from motor vehicles to run on both sides of the street. columbusunderground.com/city-to-try-...

We regularly feature an Ohio city as part of our Ohio Community Spotlight series. For 2026 we are expanding the series to focus not only on Ohio’s cities but the counties where they are located. To kick-off this new series, this month we feature the City of Cambridge and Guernsey County!

Our February Newsletter is out and available on our website. This month includes stories about Panels Topics for 2026 Ohio Brownfields Conference & Early Bird Registration ending soon, Expected Timeline for Opportunity Zone Nominations, and more. ⤵️ www.greaterohio.org/newsletters

Thank you to @cnunewurbanism.bsky.social for this great story regarding our work with the Ohio Realtors to promote preapproved housing plans as a tool to address the need to develop more infill housing across the state. Check out their recent story below. www.cnu.org/publicsquare...

We have recently received an update on the designation process for OZs 2.0, which will begin later this spring. However, there are steps communities can be taking now to be prepared for when the process officially kicks off. More, today, on our blog. www.greaterohio.org/blog/2026/2/...

Americans lost an average of an entire work week sitting in traffic in 2024. Commuter costs have surged 16% over the past five years to reach $269 billion annually. Whether you realize it or not, it could be worse. www.fastcompany.com/91493803/whe...

Interested in learning more about pre-approved housing? We provide monthly overview of pre-approval programs & individual topics on the final Tuesday of each month with our Housing Office Hours. Join us this Tuesday for Partners for Success. Register here > www.housingoh.org/office-hours

Recently, ODOT paused a study on expanding tolling on highways beyond the Ohio Turnpike. In response to coverage of this action in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, GOPC's @jasonewarner.bsky.social submitted the following letter to the editor which we share below. www.greaterohio.org/blog/2026/2/...

Interested in learning more about preapproved housing plans and how they can benefit your community? Come chat with the experts at GOPC’s free Pre-Approvals Office Hours Final Tuesday of each month | 9:00-10:00AM ET Register here www.housingoh.org/office-hours

On the heels of Valentine’s Day, one of our favorite commemorations takes place this week, as everyone here at GOPC celebrates Ohio Loves Transit Week! We salute all of the public transit agencies around Ohio & thank them for all they do throughout the year! www.greaterohio.org/blog/2026/2/...

Last week, a request from ODOT seeking $2.5 million to study expanding tolling on highways beyond the Ohio Turnpike was paused. In response to coverage in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, GOPC submitted the following letter to the editor. www.cleveland.com/letters/2026...

At GOPC, we are big advocates for a fully integrated & multi-modal transportation network that is nimble, safe, & reliable for users of all modes. Our friends at Toole Design have put together a great post about why bike lanes & sidewalks are good for drivers too!

State lawmakers have formally kicked off their process for collecting & vetting community projects for possible inclusion in the state capital budget. Groups seeking funding from the state must submit proposals to legislators' offices by Thursday, March 12.

While property taxes have rapidly escalated in many parts of the state the last several years, the wholesale abolition of property taxes will irreparably harm Ohio’s communities and put unsustainable pressure on other tax sources, like sales tax. www.greaterohio.org/blog/2026/2/...

Love for Ohio’s legacy cities is strong. Thanks for repping Cleveland, Red Gerard! clevelandmagazine.com/articles/red...

Lawmakers resumed work this week at the Ohio Statehouse after an extended holiday break. Our first legislative update of 2026 is now available on our website. NOTE: Tracking of bills by GOPC does not constitute endorsement or support of the legislation. www.greaterohio.org/bill-tracker

Akron is one step closer to having pre-approved housing designs to help speed-up the approval process & lower costs associated with developing attainable housing throughout the community. signalakron.org/local-archit...

News that caught our eye: Why nobody really knows the scale of the U.S. Housing Crisis www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

GOPC regularly uses research and resources developed by the Federal Reserve Bank system. Below is a compilation that the Senior Regional Outreach Manager at the @clevelandfed.bsky.social recently shared with GOPC. www.greaterohio.org/blog/2026/1/...

GOPC's AT Newsletter helps to promote, develop, and implement more Active Transportation (AT) infrastructure throughout Ohio, raise awareness of existing funding programs, & support policies and programs that will lead to even more AT & transit investment in Ohio. mailchi.mp/greaterohio/...

News that caught our eye: City of Middletown launches new program to develop vacant neighborhood lots. www.journal-news.com/news/middlet...

Our January Newsletter is now available on our website, featuring + Registration Is Now Open for Ohio Brownfield Conference + Save the Date for the Ohio Active Transportation Conference + Recent Honors for GOPC Staff + New & Retired Members of Our Board & more www.greaterohio.org/newsletters

Great story about the work of our friends at COCIC, the land bank for Franklin County, and the work they are doing to develop affordable housing throughout the area, including the suburbs. www.dispatch.com/story/busine...

GOPC is excited to announce it will host the 2026 Ohio Active Transportation Conference on Wednesday, September 2nd, 2026 in Dublin, Ohio. For additional details and to sign-up to receive conference updates, please visit our conference information page. www.greaterohio.org/blog/2026/1/...

Thanks to @greaterohio.org for hosting this. Lots of work needed to reclaim the streets of Ohio's cities for people. www.greaterohio.org/ohioatconfer...

As everyone across Ohio works to dig out from the latest round of winter weather, we thought now would be a good time to share this blog post from last year discussing how storms create an opportunity to reconsider the design of our roadways based on snow removal. www.greaterohio.org/blog/2025/1/...

Rental property registries & licensing programs are often utilized by municipalities to ensure properties meet basic standards of habitability. Registries can provide pathways for legal remedy of insufficient or inadequate rental housing conditions for tenants.

GOPC is excited to announce a new, free service available to Ohio communities: Virtual Office Hours for Pre-Approvals. This month: Building a Catalogue of Plans on January 27 @ 9am. Register at www.housingoh.org/office-hours. We hope to see you there!