COLUMBUS, Ohio — Urban centers should have an edge over suburban and rural areas when it comes to offering incentives to lure new businesses, and lawmakers should push for a steady source of funding for public transportation.
Those are among the ideas on how lawmakers and others can help rebuild Ohio cities that will be unveiled today when the Compact with Ohio Cities Task Force — captained by Ohio House Democrats — announces 20 recommendations for redevelopment and smart growth.
Created by House Speaker Armond Budish, a Beachwood Democrat, the bipartisan group’s mission was to identify smart growth policies to help revive Ohio’s struggling urban areas.
One of the bolder steps proposed by the group is that the job-creation incentives dangled for businesses should be tilted to give Ohio’s cities an advantage. The report calls for the state to adopt a “tiered” incentive system that favors distressed urban centers.
Rep. Michael Foley, a Cleveland Democrat who chaired the group, said he thinks a consensus is developing in the legislature that urban centers need special help. Noting that 87 of 88 Ohio counties offer tax incentives, he said it’s tough for cities to compete with rural areas that can offer unspoiled land and are willing to lay new infrastructure.
“We are saying that we need to start offering incentives that give preferential treatment to development that reuses our existing infrastructure, not building new greenfield developments out in rural areas,” Foley said. “The legislature has a duty and an opportunity to put a stamp on how we divvy up development dollars.”
Rep. Nan Baker, a Westlake Republican on the task force whose district sits in suburban Cleveland, said she agrees with the approach to put cities first.
“Urban centers do need to succeed in order for the areas that surround them to succeed, so I do support that thought process,” she said. “We do need to make sure that it’s truly a genuine partnership between the cities and the suburbs and that everyone has a place at the table.”
The report also calls for action on a handful of measures sponsored by House Democrats including a six-month foreclosure moratorium and the expansion of a county land bank program now only in Cuyahoga County. Both bills are sitting in the Republican-controlled Ohio Senate.
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Article courtesy of: cleveland.com
