On Nov. 13, the Franklin County Commissioners approved a resolution that allowed the City of Columbus to annex Cooper Stadium from Franklin Township.
In exchange for losing the 47 acres, the city has promised the township not to annex the nearly empty Westland Mall or the soon-to-be-empty Delphi site. A tax-sharing plan has also been mentioned.
Township trustee Timothy Guyton
said that the township did not know that Columbus ever had an interest in the mall or Delphi.
"However, we also never really knew for sure for the longest time that Columbus had intentions of wanting the Clipper Stadium site," said Guyton.
A tax sharing plan has not yet been developed, Guyton said.
"Columbus has orally agreed to cooperate with Franklin Township and Franklin County to work on redevelopment of the Broad Street corridor area which would include the Delphi site and the Westland Mall area, as well as the Franklin County Children’s Services area on Frank Road," Guyton said. "At this point, they have orally agreed not to attempt to annex these properties. We will be working through our attorney to have this agreement approved in writing. This process should begin soon after the annexation of the Cooper Stadium site is completed."
