Explanation
Background: Mayor Ginther has charged the Department of Development to develop a Land Acquisition Strategy that will allow the Economic Development Division to be active and strategic in the acquisition, tactical divestment or redevelopment of key development sites across the City of Columbus. These efforts will provide the City with a “seat at the table” to influence various development activities to occur within the City. More importantly, these efforts will allow the City to become a catalyst in spurring specific types of development and redevelopment, within various submarkets of the City, where the market is not ready to invest and incentivize that development to take place and occur sooner for the health and welfare of the residents of Columbus. These activities will occur through 1) site cultivation; 2) strategic corridor investments; and easement acquisitions to support development opportunities throughout the City.
The Department of Development seeks to enter into a real property acquisition services contract in an amount up to $250,000.00 to assist the Economic Development team with creating and executing the department’s strategic land acquisition strategy. The work completed by way of this contract will specifically aid in the Department of Development’s ability to identify, negotiate, and acquire sites that may be strategic in the redevelopment of key development areas across the city and become a catalyst in spurring specific types of development and redevelopment, within various submarkets of the City, where the market is not ready to invest. By way of this ordinance, the Auditor will be authorized to encumber the funds that are anticipated to be needed for the contract. The department is currently engaged in the Request for Proposal process per Columbus City Code Chapter 329, but the process will not be completed, nor legislation ready, before City Council’s last meeting in 2021. It is estimated that the contract will be executed ...
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