Citywide Job Centers Strategy​

Columbus, Ohio

In Columbus, job growth is critical for both economic and fiscal vitality, because the City depends on payroll taxes for much of its revenue.  The Job Centers Strategy involved a year-long citywide process to evaluate underutilized land and formulate economic development strategies to support enhanced job attraction.  The Mayor and City Council selected 70 specific sites for the Strategy, based on under-utilization and/or risk of industrial closures.

BAE first assessed the city’s economic base, including patterns of growth and decline by detailed economic sector, compared to surrounding suburban communities.  This included analysis of confidential firm-by-firm job data over time, to assess the City’s capture of growth in specific industries.  Columbus's economic characteristics were also compared to selected “peer” cities across the country.  Potential job centers in Columbus were categorized by land utilization into "emerging, redeveloping, or new opportunities."  Next, BAE inventoried economic development initiatives and tools, and profiled successful examples of inter-agency agreements to combat the uneven fiscal benefits of City-provided infrastructure to support suburban business parks.  Working with a citywide task force, BAE selected five key job centers for in-depth analysis, and recommended redevelopment concepts to attract key sectors including bio-science, cleantech, and small artisan and import/export companies.  BAE also recommended citywide job attraction and economic development strategies, including improved branding, land assembly, support for start-ups, and overhaul of outmoded land use patterns in targeted locations.  The Strategy was intended to support a new major capital investment program, but when bond markets declined, the City delayed the initiative.  Portions of the Strategy guide local-area economic development decisions at present.