Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther laid out plans in his State of the City address for building more affordable housing, expanding broadband access and increasing opportunity for local and minority workers in the Mapfre Stadium replacement.
“I see an affordable city with dynamic, inclusive growth, mixed income neighborhoods that support family stability and mobility that provides equity and improves the quality of life for all of our residents,” he said Thursday in prepared remarks.
The city land bank will convert to a land trust – a difference that allows requiring affordable development when the deed transfers – in a continued collaboration with the Central Ohio Community Improvement Corp., a nonprofit that manages the Franklin County land bank and coordinates in a shared office with the city’s.
Columbus has pledged $3.8 million, plus city bond funds, for a pilot land-trust project to build 30 affordable homes in Franklinton, South Side, Near East Side and Weinland Park. That funding will attract $7.2 million in private investment. Ginther credited City Council President Shannon Hardin for leading the initiative.
As the city implements the One Linden master plan for redevelopment adopted last year, Ginther said, the Department of Neighborhoods have attracted “enthusiasm” from private developers to collaborate on building single-family homes, townhouses and commercial developments. He characterized the work as early, but named Crawford Hoying, Connect Realty, Kaufman Development, Pizzuti Companies and Wagenbrenner Development as partners.
Ginther also announced public-private partnerships would “make an unprecedented, historic commitment to expand high-speed internet to all of our neighborhoods,” and create digital literacy training.
The city will create a Community Benefits Agreement, which guarantees a percentage of local workforce, for construction of the Linden Community Recreation Center and Columbus Community Sports Park to be built when Mapfre is vacated for an Arena District stadium. Ginther cited success with such an agreement to build a fire station last year.
“And we will do it together, like we’re doing with CelebrateOne, like we’re doing with Smart Columbus, like we did to Save the Crew – not just to keep soccer in Columbus, but to leverage private partnerships for affordable housing, jobs and historic minority participation in the building of a new stadium and the new community sports park,” he said.