Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Officials outline Proximity Park history, economics and confidentiality as land sale advances
Summary
City attorney and staff recounted Proximity Park’s multi-decade development, explained why public sale price differs from private-market expectations, described the role of confidentiality in industrial recruitment, and noted the half‑cent sales tax that funded infrastructure will sunset in June 2026.
City officials used an extended April 16 discussion to explain the history of the Proximity Park development, the economics of selling public land for private development and the role of confidentiality in recruiting major employers.
City Attorney Finch summarized the site's history dating back to a series of land-evaluation efforts that followed Hills Pet Nutrition’s decision to locate elsewhere. Finch said Ottawa and Franklin County negotiated voluntary purchases to assemble the park rather than use eminent domain and that the city and county funded utilities and roads through bond proceeds supported by a special half‑cent sales tax approved by voters in 2015 and adopted in 2016. Finch said the combined all-in cost for the Proximity Park infrastructure was…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
