City of Columbus - File #: 1249-2026

• File #: 1249-2026
• Version: 1
• Type: Ordinance
• Status: Consent
• File created: 4/21/2026
• In control: Economic Development & Small and Minority Business Committee
• On agenda: 5/11/2026
• Title: To amend Ordinance No. 0973-2008, as previously amended by several ordinances, by removing eleven parcels owned by 280 High Street, LLC or 44 Chestnut, LLC from the Downtown TIF; to declare the improvements to those eleven parcels to be a public purpose and exempt from real property taxation pursuant to R.C. Section 5709.41 to create the new 280 High TIF; to require the owners of those parcels to make service payments in lieu of taxes; to require the distribution of the applicable portion of those service payments to the Columbus City Schools; to establish an urban redevelopment tax increment equivalent fund for the deposit of the remainder of those service payments; to appropriate and authorize the expenditure and transfer of revenues deposited in the aforementioned 280 High TIF fund; to authorize the Director of the Department of Development to enter into the 280 High TIF Reimbursement Agreement between the City and the Developer to provide most of those appropriated revenues to the ...

Explanation

BACKGROUND: Ordinance No. 0973-2008, as previously amended by several ordinances (altogether, the “Downtown TIF Ordinance”), was passed by City Council to establish a tax increment financing area over downtown Columbus (the “Downtown TIF”). The 2022 Downtown Columbus Strategic Plan adopted by Resolution No. 0164X-2022 recommends making downtown a “neighborhood for all” by: (1) identifying focus areas for growing downtown, (2) requiring and approving high density urban residential developments, and (3) converting outdated office space into contributing housing to achieve 40,000 total residents downtown by 2040. 280 High Street, LLC (the “Developer”) and the Developer’s affiliate, 44 Chestnut, LLC, respectively own the 18-story office building at 280 N. High Street and the adjacent parking garage at 44 E. Chestnut Street, collectively known as The Centennial on High (altogether, the “Project”). The Developer intends to convert a 345,000 square foot office building into a mixed-use building with a reduced square footage of approximately 75,000 square feet of renovated office space and approximately 145 newly added apartments in place of some of the existing office space. The Developer has requested the City to support and facilitate the urban redevelopment of the Project by removing the Project parcels (the “Parcels”) from the Downtown TIF and establishing a new tax increment financing area pursuant to R.C. Section 5709.41 (the “280 High TIF”). In accordance with R.C. Section 5709.41, Ordinance No. 2575-2025 was approved by City Council to authorize the City to accept title to the Parcels from the Developer and its aforesaid affiliate and then transfer title back to the previous owners prior to establishing the 280 High TIF.

This Ordinance amends the Downtown TIF Ordinance and establishes the 280 High TIF pursuant to R.C. Section 5709.41 to provide that one-hundred percent (100%) exemption from real property taxation on the increase in assessed value o...