Ohio’s Brownfield Remediation Program incentive (BRP) was recently enacted by the Ohio General Assembly as part of budget sub-bill Sub. House Bill 33. The BRP is to be funded with $350 million, split among two fiscal years. Ohio is also funding another demolition...
Economic Development
Cleveland City Council Passes Community Benefits Legislation
Cleveland City Council passed Emergency Ordinance 297-2023 (the Ordinance), described as community benefits agreement (CBA) legislation on Monday, June 5th. The Ordinance focuses on improving construction contract work allocated to certified Minority Business...
Ohio House Bill 501 Expands the Possibilities for Townships Use of TIF and PILOT Incentives
Recently enacted Ohio House Bill 501 (HB 501) expands options for townships desiring to create a tax increment financing (TIF) incentives agreement. Under the HB 501, a township may create a TIF and use payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs) received through the TIF for...
Ohio Changes Community Reinvestment Area Exemptions
Ohio Senate Bill 33 (S.B. 33), which makes significant changes to Ohio’s laws regulating Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) incentives, goes into effect April 3, 2023. Introduced in early 2021, S.B. 33 aggressively expands the availability of CRAs, the benefits they...
Sustainable Store Grants Now Available for Cuyahoga County Retailers
Retailers in Cuyahoga County can now apply for Sustainable Store Grants of up to $5,000 to help eliminate plastic checkout bags from their operations. The initiative is being supported by the Cuyahoga County Departments of Consumer Affairs and Sustainability, as well...
Ohio Takes One Step Closer to Statewide Passenger Rail
“It’s a good time to be in transportation!” says William Murdock, Executive Director of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC). Speaking to KJK’s Samir Dahman and James Scherer, Mr. Murdock, who heads one of Ohio’s largest regional planning agencies, spoke...
Network Effects and Implications for Local Governments
In today’s world, the word “network” is most likely to evoke references to social media. Twenty years ago, the same word would likely induce thoughts of the expansion of broadband, fiber and wireless telecommunications to business and the public. Put simply, a network...
City of Cleveland Moves Forward With Actions Impacting Lakefront and Cuyahoga River
Recent zoning and land use developments within the City of Cleveland indicate new thoughts and plans for action along Cleveland’s lakefront and riverfront. While Cleveland’s Lake Erie lakefront has long been the subject of speculation about what could be, the city has...
U.S. Aims to Boost Semiconductor Production With the CHIPS Act
[UPDATED 8/10/2022: CHIPS Act signed by President Biden] This week, President Biden signed H.R. 4346, the CHIPS for America Act of 2022, which is designed to provide over $50 billion in appropriations aimed at driving massive industrial growth and innovation within...
City of Cleveland Property Tax Abatement: The Study, Key Findings and Recommendations
The Study In the summer of 2019, Cleveland’s Office of Community Development and the Equitable Community Development Working Group commissioned a study (the “Study”) to identify the historic usage of the City’s Tax Abatement Program (the “Program”), as well as the...