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Developers, residents defend speculative development as council introduces CRA for Velocis site
Summary
Developers and local stakeholders urged support for speculative industrial development and consistent incentive policy during public comment. Council introduced an ordinance to create a Community Reinvestment Area for Velocis Gahanna JV LP, authorizing tax incentives for an industrial building on Tech Center Drive (first reading).
Developers and community members argued Monday that speculative industrial development and negotiated incentive packages produce long-term regional benefits as Gahanna City Council introduced a Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) agreement for the Velocis site on Tech Center Drive.
At the start of hearing, longtime local developer Ralph Griffith (VRG2) reviewed the firm’s work in Gahanna since 2005 and defended speculative marketing of a difficult site, noting topography constraints and long-term market cycles. “We cleaned and capped the EPA nuisance formerly known as Bedford 2 Landfill,” Griffith said, describing past remediation and development efforts the firm undertook. He said splitting the parcel helped attract Burns and Scallow and later Velocis, and urged council to view speculative development as a legitimate path to future anchors.
Resident and developer Robert Lockett recalled elongated negotiations over an incentive…
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