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Council amends South Commons RFP to exclude TAD references, directs site work by development authority
Summary
Columbus City Council on April 8 approved an amendment removing references to Tax Allocation District funding and tax abatements from a request-for-proposal for South Commons redevelopment and directed the development authority to address site work. Council delayed the overall RFP earlier in the meeting to give members more time for review.
Columbus City Council on April 8 voted to amend a planned request-for-proposal (RFP) for the redevelopment of South Commons so the RFP will not reference Tax Allocation District (TAD) funding or tax abatements and will explicitly ask the Development Authority to include appropriate site work in proposals.
The amendment, offered by Councilor Garrett, passed after an earlier motion to delay the RFP to the next council meeting. Councilors said the changes were intended to reassure residents and potential bidders that the city was not committing tax incentives up front while still obtaining firm proposals that account for necessary infrastructure work.
Council debate was lengthy and detailed. Supporters of the amendment argued removing mention of TADs and tax abatements would prevent misunderstandings that the council had already committed public funding or incentives; they also said requiring the development authority to include site work in the RFP will yield more realistic proposals. Opponents and some council members urged more time to review terms, to confirm coordination with the Development Authority, and to understand potential fiscal consequences such as whether the TAD would be needed later to finance infrastructure.
City staff and the city attorney repeatedly told council the RFP itself is nonbinding and would not obligate the city to spend funds. Councilors asked for more detail on whether the development authority had been engaged; staff said the authority had been briefed and would undertake site work under its existing authority and funding mechanisms if council requests it. Several councilors also referenced the stadium project and the broader redevelopment strategy for South Columbus as the context for the RFP.
Before adopting the amendment, council also approved a separate procedural motion to delay final action on the RFP until the next meeting, giving members time to review additional materials and consult with stakeholders.
What the council adopted: the RFP will be returned to council with language that omits any promise or reference to TAD funding or tax abatements and that instructs the Development Authority to include potential site work in their submissions. The vote on the amendment was recorded as adopted by voice vote during the April 8 meeting.
The council discussion touched on several follow-up items: requests for a more detailed schedule and scope of site work; a briefing about prior commitments of TAD dollars (staff noted a previous $1.6 million allocation in a Liberty District TAD for AJ McClung Stadium-related projects); and a request to brief council on the Development Authority’s contacts and outreach to potential developers.
Council members said they would expect the Development Authority to return RFP responses and for council to consider financial and nonfinancial policy tools — including whether to use a TAD in the future — as separate decisions after the RFP results are reviewed.
The council set the amended RFP to return at its next meeting for further consideration.
Ending: Council did not commit specific public incentives or expenditures in the April 8 action; members directed staff and the Development Authority to produce more detailed information and proposals for council review before the city makes any funding decisions.
