Morrow County approves Chester Crossing developer agreement, limits TIF reimbursements to $10 million

Morrow County commissioners voted unanimously Monday to approve a developer agreement for the Chester Crossing project, authorizing tax-increment financing (TIF) reimbursements up to $10,000,000 and allowing the developer to build infrastructure in phases.

Jamie, the development authority project coordinator, told the board the TIF tied to the project is a rolling TIF that directs 75% of new value created by the development for public improvements. Jamie said the first TIF year was triggered in 2021 and payable in 2022 and that the county’s TIF account currently holds about $8,000.

“On behalf of the development authority, we believe that this is a really good developer agreement,” Jamie said, describing phased construction, county oversight of plans and a 60‑day review window for approvals. The agreement requires the developer to pay prevailing wage on public work and to solicit multiple bids for contractors, Jamie added.

The agreement lays out administrative forms and exhibits: Exhibit A maps the Chester Crossing parcel (the proposal includes one additional parcel compared with the original TIF), Exhibit B narrows allowable scope to what the Ohio Revised Code permits, Exhibit C is the county project coordinator’s form, and Exhibit D estimates public‑works costs. The exhibit prepared in 2019 originally estimated about $12,800,000 in public works; Jamie said post‑pandemic costs make that number unlikely to fully cover current prices, which is why the agreement establishes a $10,000,000 cap on reimbursements.

Jamie explained the $10,000,000 cap is a contractual ceiling: the county cannot reimburse more than the TIF actually generates. “Even though there is a $10,000,000 cap, if the TIF never brings in $8,000,000, that’s the maximum amount the TIF could ever be asked to pay,” Jamie said.

A developer representative told the board the project has produced housing for roughly 64 families and could add 50 to 100 more units over the next few years, and expressed appreciation for county cooperation.

Commissioners moved to approve the agreement and recorded unanimous yes votes during roll call. The agreement requires coordination with the county engineer on any roads proposed for dedication to the county and uses the bond‑buyer 30‑year revenue index plus 200 basis points (2%) as a developer ‘reward’ rate for managing reimbursements, per the presentation.

The action authorizes staff to finalize the contract documents and move forward with implementation steps outlined in the agreement.