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Council sets final hearing for Core to Shore TIF amendment after debate over housing, Capitol Hill priorities
Summary
Council introduced an amendment to the Core to Shore TIF plan, adding a housing objective, expanding estimated project budgets from roughly $395M to $528M and redrawing increment districts; council members pressed staff to add targeted measures for Capitol Hill (Increment H) and to meet with stakeholders before the April 7 final hearing.
The Oklahoma City Council on March 23 introduced and set for final hearing an amendment to the Core to Shore tax increment financing (TIF) plan, a major revision that adds housing as an explicit objective, redraws district boundaries and increases the plan’s budget estimate.
Kenny Suudal of the Alliance for Economic Development told the council the amendment would expand the plan’s scope and update budgets that were adopted in 2016, moving estimated public costs from about $395 million to roughly $528 million over a 25‑year projection. Suudal said the amendment also would create three new increment areas — taking the total from seven to ten — and add an Economic Development Trust provision to approve minor amendments that do not change more than 5% of public costs.
The amendment, Suudal said, also reorients several districts around the new arena, the multi‑purpose stadium and parts of the north shore of Scissortail Park. He highlighted a set of small, specific parcels proposed as Increment J intended to support office‑to‑residential conversions, and described Increment H as a new tool to encourage redevelopment in the Capitol Hill area.
Several council members asked for more specificity about housing and anti‑displacement measures. Councilwoman Hamon said she appreciated adding housing to the plan but urged staff to include tangible programs for small‑scale activation and facade improvements so long‑time owners and small businesses could compete for funding. "If we're not specific enough, it kind of gets lost in the sauce," she said, pressing staff for follow-up with the stakeholder group that met about Capitol Hill.
Staff responded that the amendment intentionally uses broad language to allow flexibility across varied projects, but that specific language or budget line items could be added as amendments before the final hearing. Suudal and staff agreed to prioritize additional stakeholder meetings and to place any agreed amendments on the April 7 agenda. The council set the final hearing for April 7, 2026.
Why it matters: The Core to Shore area is central to downtown redevelopment plans; changing increment boundaries and adding housing as an objective will shape where public TIF dollars can be used and how much incremental tax revenue the city forecasts to capture for public improvements. Council members said they want the city to balance the goals of encouraging investment with protections to limit displacement in neighborhoods such as Capitol Hill.
Next steps: The amendment will return for a final hearing April 7. Staff committed to meet with Capitol Hill stakeholders and to bring proposed, council‑directed amendments forward for that hearing.
