14-05-2025
Organization pushes Columbus to address landlords, tree canopy
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — More than 1,000 people gathered at the Celeste Center at the Ohio State Fairgrounds to call on Columbus City Council to do two things: protect renters and save the trees.
B.R.E.A.D Columbus held its annual event Tuesday, where members of more than 30 congregations take time to listen to their community and figure out what issues are impacting them the most.
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Roughly 1,300 people filled the Celeste Center to target two programs that are affecting their communities. Bishop La Fayette Scales said that this year, B.R.E.A.D. discovered that a lot of members are renters. So, one of the two main campaigns involves targeting what they call 'predatory landlords.'
'Large out-of-town landlords are buying up these properties, raising rents and even when there's difficulty, like with maintenance issues and leaks, they don't know who to report it to,' Rhema Christian Center Bishop La Fayette Scales said.
B.R.E.A.D. Columbus is calling for city council to introduce legislation for a 'rental registry,' which would allow tenants to know who to go to if there's a problem with their unit.
'We looked at cities around our state and we found out both small and larger cities around their state already have rental registries,' Scales said. 'Columbus does not.'
Columbus City Councilmember Nick Bankston said he is committed to creating an ordinance for the rental registry.
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B.R.E.A.D. also wants the city to adopt a private property tree protection ordinance.
'If you look at cities like Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Louisville, they have much stronger regulations, and we are a fast-growing city which is going to mean lots of new development in the upcoming years, and that's going to potentially contribute more to the heat island effect in Columbus,' First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus' Tim Tichenor said.
In 2021, Columbus City Council approved an Urban Forestry Master Plan, the goal of which is to have 40% tree coverage by 2050. The city is currently just above 20%.
'Westerville has a private tree ordinance, and they have a much better tree canopy than does the city of Columbus, and it's the same developers,' Sister Gemma Doll with the Dominican Sisters of Peace said. 'So I think it could be a win-win on all parts, but particularly a win for the people of Columbus.'
B.R.E.A.D. Columbus said it will continue to meet with city council members about their housing and tree concerns until they can resolve the issues they see and hear every day from community members.
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