Tipp City council approves 10-year development agreement, moves forward with redevelopment plan for Tipp City Plaza
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Summary
Tipp City Council voted unanimously to approve a 10-year development services agreement with Woodard Development and introduced an urban redevelopment plan required before implementing tax-increment financing for the Tipp City Plaza parcels, including 1400 West Main Street.
TIPP CITY, Ohio — The Tipp City Council on Monday approved a 10-year development services agreement with Woodard Development to guide redevelopment of the Tipp City Plaza property and introduced an urban redevelopment plan for portions of downtown that the city may finance using tax-increment financing.
The agreement, approved by council as Resolution 20-25, formalizes an existing partnership between the city and Woodard Development for planning and potential sale and redevelopment of the Tipp City Plaza parcel. City staff described the developer’s responsibilities as submitting a conceptual plan followed by a master development plan and design specifications; the agreement allows Woodard to assign its rights to a third-party partner if approved by the city.
The council also introduced an ordinance adopting an urban redevelopment plan covering the Tipp City Plaza, 1400 West Main Street (identified in the meeting as the former greenhouse site), and an adjacent Long property. City staff said adoption of the redevelopment plan is a required step under the Ohio Revised Code before the city may implement tax-increment financing on those properties.
City planner and meeting presenter Eric Mack summarized the agreement’s key points and said city legal counsel and an outside development consultant helped negotiate the package. Mack said the plan includes city work to establish a neighborhood conservation area (NCA) on the property “to help recover the city’s investment,” and that additional terms about design and property transfers are included in the contract packet posted on the city’s website.
A member of the public, Abby Bowling of 861 Hawthorne, asked whether the city is paying Woodard a fixed fee and whether the agreement is available online. Mack replied that the contract does include cost provisions for various items but that “there’s no specific cost that we are paying Woodard Development x amount of dollars” and that the agreement and backup materials are included in the meeting packet on the city website; staff offered to email the document to anyone having trouble accessing it.
Council members spoke in support of proceeding with the agreement. One councilor said the city has had a “positive experience with Woodard” and that the council had reviewed the developer’s prior work in the area. There was no public opposition during the public hearing; the measure passed unanimously.
The council’s action is procedural: the development agreement and the urban redevelopment plan create the framework for future negotiations, approvals and any financing steps such as tax-increment financing. The agreement directs the developer to return with specific plans and does not itself authorize construction on the site.
