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Council hears major Westgate/Nicky redevelopment tax-abatement requests; long discussion and unanimous advisory recommendation

Toledo City Council (agenda review) · November 12, 2025

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Summary

Developers and city staff presented two 15‑year, 100% property-tax abatement requests to support a commercial redevelopment of the former Sears and Elder Beerman sites; an advisory committee recommended approval and council engaged in extensive questioning.

City economic-development staff and private developers presented two tax-abatement applications on Nov. 12 intended to enable a multi-phase redevelopment of the former Sears and Elder Beerman properties along Secor that together comprise a roughly 30‑acre site.

Brandon Sellers of the Department of Economic Development and Liz Holland (Able/Abel Associates) said remediation and demolition were completed and that the master plan calls for approximately 246,000 square feet of new retail, restaurant and entertainment space. Staff described a substantial financing gap driven by remediation and site-preparation costs; the department said the projects have applied to the city's commercial and industrial tax-abatement program and that the incentive-advisory committee unanimously recommended approval.

Item 12 would authorize a 100% property-tax abatement for Westgate Village North, LLC for 15 years contingent upon a payment-in-lieu/pilot agreement with the Washington Local School District; Item 13 would do the same for Nicky Group, LP under similar PILOT conditions. Staff estimated the pilot agreements could generate more than $8.5 million for the school district over the 15‑year term and projected more than $2 million in new annual income-tax revenue for the city at full occupancy.

Council members probed why housing stalled as part of the plan, whether taxes were paid before the application, contractor and local hire commitments, traffic and walkability concerns, and market demand that has shifted some national retailers to suburban centers. Developers said they had actively marketed the site for housing but were unable to secure financing and developer interest at the time, and that local procurement and building-trade participation would be part of contracting plans.

Several council members praised the redevelopment track record referenced by the developers and asked staff to continue emphasizing local contracting. At the agenda review the items were presented and recommended for SPC/SEP as procedural steps; the council did not record a final abatement vote at this meeting.