Industries & Practices

Economic Development

Economic Development

    We establish a collaborative environment among Ohio communities and private commerce to foster job creation and quality growth.

    Using the economic development tools that best suit our clients’ goals, we structure projects and layer programs, connecting government entities and private developers with available financial resources. Our team assists both public and private sector entities, offering cutting-edge financial, regulatory and other consultative solutions.

    We provide economic development counsel in these areas:

    • Creative application of public and private financing
    • Tax incentives, loan, and grant programs
    • Economic development consulting and contract services
    • Housing development strategies and tools
    • Site development structuring
    • Downtown revitalization tools
    • Regulatory compliance
    • Zoning
    • Site selection support
    • State and local permitting

    Specific projects include:

    • Creating tax increment financing and special assessment districts
    • Creating and managing Ohio’s PACE programs and assisting private property owners to obtain PACE financing for energy efficiency and alternative energy improvements
    • Facilitating cooperative development arrangements among political subdivisions and public-private partnerships
    • Establishing and working with communities and businesses to leverage community improvement corporations, community reinvestment areas, enterprise zones, joint economic development districts, new community authorities, and port authorities
    • Guiding companies in their quest for new facility locations, workforce acquisition, incentive negotiation, and permit acquisition

    Areas of Focus

    Public Sector

    We assist state and local governments with infrastructure finance and negotiations with developers and business owners. The ultimate goal is creating and retaining jobs, supporting innovation, and stabilizing and improving property values. 

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    State Tax Counsel

    We assist companies in navigating the tax implications that affect their operations. Sales and use taxes, the commercial activity tax (CAT) and the pass-through entity tax, including best practices for compliance, are just a few of the tax matters on which we focus.

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    Energy Finance & PACE

    Participating in the issuance of Ohio’s first property-assessed clean energy (PACE) bonds, our firm is a national leader in the area of energy project finance. We help public entities use funding opportunities to update existing office buildings or warehouses or to acquire an alternative energy source, like solar panels or wind turbines, without impacting certain local debt limitations.  We have facilitated over $500 million of PACE transactions for over 200 PACE projects. Visit our PACE Financing Resource Center >>

    Private Sector – Developers

    Collaborating with our firm’s national real estate practice, we work closely with developers. As a strategic partner, we identify options to close gaps in the capital stack in order to facilitate important development and redevelopment projects.

    Private Sector – Business Owners

    Supporting entrepreneurial growth, we work with companies to identify and negotiate federal, state and local incentives. We use our comprehensive knowledge of available programs to help businesses both grow and retain jobs – and improve their bottom lines.

    Economic Development Compliance

    Our attorneys guide incentive recipients from start to finish. We begin with negotiation of award requirements, and partner with incentive recipients until all award requirements have been satisfied. For businesses with existing awards, we provide advice regarding outstanding requirements, either in connection with ongoing reporting obligations or in response to any investigation or enforcement actions by the award provider.