Explanation
Background: WESTBEND QOZB, LLC (the “Developer”), an affiliate of Thrive Companies, Inc., and the City entered into the Economic Development Agreement dated April 19, 2024, as amended by the First Amendment to Economic Development Agreement dated August 19, 2026, (together, the “EDA”) pursuant to Ordinance No. 1866-2023 passed by City Council on July 31, 2023 and Ordinance No. 1511-2026 passed by City Council on June 22, 2026. The Developer will develop, in multiple phases, the former Buckeye Auto Parts brownfield site consisting of approximately 50.28 acres of real property bounded generally by McKinley Avenue and the New York Central Railroad to the south and west, the Scioto River to the east, and Lake Shore Drive to the north (“WestBend”). The City committed in the EDA to form a new community authority pursuant to R.C. Chapter 349 to support WestBend. This new community authority for West Bend will impose community development charges to provide land acquisition and land development activities and community facilities for the purposes described in R.C. Chapter 349 including, but not limited to, public infrastructure improvements. It will also impose charges to provide expected services such as coordinating delivery of water and sanitary sewer services provided by the City through a master meter to the new community authority’s water and sanitary sewer transmission lines at WestBend, and by providing certain Ohio EPA environmental monitoring and enforcement services. On or about August 28, 2026, a Petition for the Organization of the WestBend Community Authority (the “Petition”) was submitted to the Clerk of City Council. By this resolution, City Council, as the “organizational board of commissioners” described and required by R.C. Chapter 349, will determine the sufficiency of the Petition, set a public hearing date on the Petition, and give notice thereof. Furthermore, by this resolution, City Council authorizes the Director of the Department of Development, or his or her authorized designee, to hold the required hearing and to forthwith certify to City Council that the hearing was held as advertised.
Emergency Justification: Emergency action is requested in order to provide notice in a newspaper for three consecutive weeks, or as provided in R.C. Section 7.16, prior to a public hearing and set the public hearing date within 30-45 days of the date after the Petition was filed in accordance with R.C. Chapter 349.
Fiscal Impact: No funding is required for this legislation.
Title
To determine that the petition to establish the WestBend Community Authority is sufficient and complies with the requirements of Chapter 349 of the Ohio Revised Code; to set the time and place for a hearing on the petition; to authorize the notice of such hearing by publication in a newspaper of general circulation for three consecutive weeks, or as provided in Ohio Revised Code Section 7.16; and to declare an emergency. ($0.00)
Body
WHEREAS, WESTBEND QOZB, LLC (the “Developer”), an affiliate of Thrive Companies, Inc., and the City entered into an Economic Development Agreement dated April 19, 2024, as amended by the First Amendment to Economic Development Agreement dated August 19, 2026, (together, the “EDA”) pursuant to Ordinance No. 1866-2023 passed by City Council on July 31, 2023 and Ordinance No. 1511-2026 passed by City Council on June 22, 2026; and
WHEREAS, the Developer has proposed to develop, in multiple phases, the former Buckeye Auto Parts brownfield site consisting of approximately 50.28 acres of the real property bounded generally by McKinley Avenue and the New York Central Railroad to the south and west, the Scioto River to the east, and Lake Shore Drive to the north (“WestBend”); and
WHEREAS, WestBend will consist of a mixed-use commercial and residential development with approximately 895 apartment units and up to 8,000 square feet of retail uses, together with about 17 acres of green space and bikeways; and
WHEREAS, to support the redevelopment of WestBend, the City agreed in the EDA to support the formation of a new community authority for the site (the “WestBend Community Authority”) for the purpose of the WestBend Community Authority imposing community development charges for its land acquisition and land development activities, to develop new community facilities, and to provide services to WestBend; and
WHEREAS, a Petition for the Organization of the WestBend Community Authority under R.C. Chapter 349 (the “Petition”) has been submitted to the Clerk of City Council on or about August 28, 2026; and
WHEREAS, the WestBend Community Authority’s new community district, attached hereto as Exhibit A and as described in the Petition, is located entirely within the municipal corporate boundaries of the City, and City Council, as the legislative authority of the City, is therefore the “organizational board of commissioners” for purposes of the Petition in accordance with R.C. Chapter 349; and
WHEREAS, City Council has reviewed the Petition, and by this resolution desires to legislatively determine, pursuant to R.C. Section 349.03, that the Petition complies with the requirements of that section as to form and substance, to set the time and place of a hearing on the Petition, and authorize the notice by publication of the hearing on the Petition; and
WHEREAS, City Council authorizes the Director of the Department of Development, or his or her authorized designee, to hold the hearing required by R.C. Section 349.03 and to forthwith certify in writing to City Council that the hearing was held as advertised; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Department of Development in that it is immediately necessary to make the legislative determinations described herein regarding the sufficiency of the Petition in order to facilitate the development of WestBend and in order to provide notice in a newspaper for three consecutive weeks prior to a public hearing, or as provided in R.C. Section 7.16, and set the public hearing date within 30-45 days of the date after the Petition was filed in accordance with R.C. Chapter 349, all for the immediate preservation of the public health, peace, property, safety, and welfare; and NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
Section 1. Organizational Board of Commissioners. That this Council hereby acknowledges and determines that it is the “organizational board of commissioners” for all purposes of R.C. Chapter 349 of the WestBend Community Authority described in the Petition.
Section 2. Petition’s Sufficiency and Compliance with R.C. Section 349.03. That this Council has examined the Petition and finds and determines that the Petition is sufficient and complies with the requirements of R.C. Section 349.03 in form and substance.
Section 3. Time and Place of Hearing. That, pursuant to R.C. Section 349.03, this Council hereby designates the Director of the Department of Development, or his or her authorized representative, to hold a public hearing on the Petition at 12:30 p.m. on September 29, 2026 at the City’s Michael B. Coleman Government Center located at 111 N. Front Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215.
Section 4. Notice. That this Council hereby authorizes each of the City Attorney, the Clerk of Council, and the City Director of the Department of Development, or any of them individually, to cause notice of the hearing to be published once a week for three consecutive weeks, or as provided in R.C. Section 7.16, in a newspaper of general circulation within Franklin County, Ohio, pursuant to R.C. Section 349.03(A) , and the Director shall certify to this Council in writing that the hearing was held as advertised.
Section 5. Effective Date. That for the reasons stated in the Preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this resolution is hereby declared to be an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval by the Mayor or ten days after the passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.