City Planning and Engagement

“Pre-approved plans are architectural designs, freely offered by the City, that have already been reviewed and approved by all relevant City agencies. Builders and developers who use pre-approved plans can move more quickly through the permitting process, reducing time and cost.” 

“Pre-approved plans will both incentivize and expedite the creation of two-, three-, and four-family homes. Adding more buildings of this size will increase the City’s overall housing stock, and because this type of housing is typically cheaper to rent or buy than single-family homes, housing supply and affordability will both improve.”  

“Building designs will be informed by upfront community engagement and the expertise of the architects who will design the homes. BuildReady will create six total plans with a mandate to fit within the context of existing neighborhoods.”  

“There are no restrictions on who can use the plans. Developers of any size, as well as individual builders, may access and use them at no cost.”

“Buildings created from the plans may be fully rented, partially rented, or fully owned.”  

“Per the terms of the HUD PRO Housing grant, the two demonstration properties will be subsidized to be affordable to residents earning 60-80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). No affordability requirements are attached to the pre-approved plans themselves, but they will be designed to be as attainable as possible. More broadly, small multi-family housing is typically cheaper to rent and own than new single-family homes, and adding housing of any type tends to lower housing costs overall by contributing to supply.” 

“Community engagement is central to BuildReady. Throughout the project, the City will broadly share surveys, flyers, videos, and other information, as well as meet directly with Community Councils, developers, architects, and other stakeholders. The public will be invited to share their feedback during the Design Competition and vote on their preferred design(s); this input will then inform the creation of the final pre-approved plans.  

Additionally, residents and community members are invited to join two working groups: The Community Judging Group, which will review Design Competition submissions; and the Technical Support Group, which will assist with technical aspects of finalizing the pre-approved plans.”  

“BuildReady will incentivize and expedite the construction of two-, three-, and four- family buildings, which were essentially impossible to build under previous versions of the Zoning Code. Connected Communities made it legal to build small multi-family housing by right in the areas around Neighborhood Business Districts and major transportation corridors.”  

“The BuildReady design competition is meant to seek new ideas and public input on what small multi-family buildings can look like in Cincinnati. Everyone—professionals, students, and average people—is welcome to submit designs during the competition. Submissions will be reviewed, judged, and voted on by the public, and elements of the winning design(s) will inform the creation of the pre-approved plans.”  

You did not need to sign up for the design competition. You can submit your designs any time before August 14, 2026, using the Design Competition page.

You can submit a single entry for each category. It is not required to submit to all three categories; you can choose to submit to only one or two.

No. You do not need to be an architect licensed in the State of Ohio to compete in the Design Competition.

To be considered for the RFP, you will need to be, or submit with, an architect licensed in the State of Ohio.

Yes. Please follow the file naming convention (Design Competition Brief, p. 21) and create a unique “[Submission Name]”. If you use your name or your firm’s name, it will be changed before it is shared with judges.

The competition submissions will remain anonymous to judging panels and the public until awards are announced. Poster submissions should not include any information that can identify the submitter.

Yes. If your response does not fit into the Submission Form, feel free to submit additional language separately in addition to including the narrative on the Board.

No. Only digital submissions will be accepted.

The maximum number of points each firm that competes in the Design Competition will receive is 5, regardless of multiple submissions.

Correct. The parameters in the Design Board Content (p. 20) are minimally required. You can provide additional graphics beyond what's listed, such as building sections or concept renderings.

​You're more than welcome to go into this level of detail, but it's not an expectation for you to do so. We do not have any CAD files, but below are some mapping resources that could be helpful:

1. Cincinnati Area GIS (CAGIS) Online: https://cagis.hamilton-co.org/cagisonline/

2. CAGIS Open Data Hub: https://data-cagisportal.opendata.arcgis.com/

3. Cincinnati Open Data Portal: https://data.cincinnati-oh.gov/

4. CADMapper (there is a free version to pull building forms for ~1/2 square miles): https://cadmapper.com/

“Respect and enhance the context of Cincinnati’s neighborhoods” (Design Competition Brief, p. 3). A concern from the public is that the BuildReady homes will not fit into their neighborhood. Contextually, submissions should be compatible with Cincinnati's architectural styles. Typical Architectural Styles for Cincinnati are provided as Attachment 1 in the Competition Brief, but the submissions do not need to be in these same exact architectural styles. The goal is for new housing to complement existing neighborhoods, and the way to do that is up to you.

There is no recommended size range (besides practical limits), as we want to promote creativity and flexibility.

Again, we want to promote creativity and flexibility between units, so there is no desired mix of beds and baths. One thing to note: Pages 11 and 12 of the Design Competition Brief show results of our Technical Support Focus Group, which was made up of everyday Cincinnatians. They preferred at least 2-bed and 1.5-bath units, but they also wanted flexibility for different needs at different stages of life and for multi-generational living. We want participants to use these preferences as a guide, without hindering creativity and flexibility at this stage, so there is no set mix.

There is no target price range, but we want to make these homes generally attainable to middle-income people. Therefore, they should be practically designed, but submissions do not need a cost estimate.

No off-street parking is required. This is in accordance with Cincinnati's updated Connected Communities zoning, where 2-4 family buildings in Connected Communities districts do not need to provide any off-street parking. 

No. For the Design Competition, no cost per square foot has been set to allow for creativity and innovation. Cost may be considered or applied for the RFP.

Yes. You can submit modular-style housing designs for multiple housing types. For instance, if you design a two-family home, you can use it as a base to add units for your three- or four-family submission, as long as it still conforms to the building and lot constraints.

Table 2: Maximum Lot and Building Dimensions (Design Competition Brief, p.11) incorporates setbacks across residential zoning districts in the Cincinnati Zoning Code. If your submission is within the maximum building dimensions, it will comply with Cincinnati zoning regulations, so no additional analysis will be needed.

 Yes. Covered front porches are considered a part of the building and subject to setbacks.

Per the Cincinnati Zoning Code anything included in §1421-07 (visit link) can project into yards the amount specified. Anything not in the table is subject to setback regulations.

No. You should assume that the lot you are designing is flat. While Cincinnati is known for its hillsides, which impact property design and development, BuildReady focuses on lots outside overlay zoning districts, including the Hillside Overlay District.

No. You should assume that the lot you are designing only has frontage on one street. While many properties in Cincinnati have access to alleyways, designs should apply to lots with and without alleys. If you have a creative addition for alleyways, you can discuss it in your design.

Generally, your design should consider two standard size carts per unit (one waste, one recycling). If you have a creative solution for shared bins or waste collection, feel free to include it in your design.

You should assume that the lot you are designing is flat. If changing the natural landform is important to showcase your design or illustrates innovation, you may manipulate the lot as you see fit.