Explanation
BACKGROUND: This legislation authorizes the Director of the Department of Development to enter into a contract with the Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus and Franklin County (AHT) to provide grants to finalists in the Parcels to Places competition for improving vacant parcels in the Land Bank program. Parcels to Places is a pilot project, which will showcase creative ideas and strategies for transforming Columbus' vacant land into an asset that contributes to community needs.
Additional funding for these grants is provided by the Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing (OCCH) in the amount of $100,000 and the Columbus Foundation in the amount of $25,000. The agreement will establish a process by which finalists, selected by a committee of experts, will provide detailed plans and costs for the improvements. The AHT and the Neighborhood Design Center will administer the grants with assistance from the Land Redevelopment Office.
FISCAL IMPACT: $60,000.00 is available for this contract from the 2016 Capital Improvement Budget within Fund 7739, Development Taxable Bonds.
Title
To authorize the Director of the Department of Development to enter into a contract with the Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus and Franklin County to provide grants to finalists in the Parcels to Places competition for improving vacant parcels in the Land Bank program; to authorize the expenditure of $60,000.00 from the Development Taxable Bonds Fund; and to declare an emergency. ($60,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, Council passed ordinance 2161-93, on October 25, 1993, as amended by 1325-98, on June 8, 1998, to authorize the adoption of a Land Reutilization Program under Ohio Revised Code Chapter 5722; and
WHEREAS, the City owns hundreds of vacant lots acquired under the Land Reutilization Program and establishes licenses with various community based non-profit corporations to maintain community gardens; and
WHEREAS, the City desires to establish a contract with Afford...
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