“Building Together” in Baltimore? Corporate Megadevelopment and Coalitions for Community Power

We consider how various coalitions influence redevelopment projects in cities, especially as communities demand more inclusion in the development process. Based on qualitative research, we investigate the approval process for the 235-acre megadevelopment project at Port Covington in Baltimore, Maryland, and how stakeholders, including developers, community-based organizations, politicians, and impacted community members view the project, the tax increment financing (TIF) granted by the city, and community benefits agreements (CBAs). Community leaders leaned hard on the development corporation, demanding community and city-wide benefits before a TIF could be approved. We analyze the processes of the Port Covington CBA within the context of the political and economic dynamics of Baltimore. This case study adds to our understanding of how communities respond to corporate-led developments through coalition building, effectively gaining power in how elite governing regimes dictate development in cities.

Implementing tax increment financing in Toronto learning from the Alberta experience

In Toronto, and cities across Canada, increasing population intensification in urban centres has put pressure on municipalities and created uneven patterns of growth. Tax increment financing (TIF) is a flexible tool that can direct and manage growth, fund infrastructure investments, and revitalize communities. In 2006, the Government of Ontario passed the Tax Increment Financing Act, yet no jurisdiction in the province has implemented the tool. This report identifies and analyzes how TIF can be implemented in Toronto to effectively achieve positive outcomes. To do this, a combination of literature, best practices and case studies were explored. As the municipality with the most extensive experience with TIF in Canada, Calgary’s case is a focus of the report. The findings of the research are presented in the form of recommendations guiding how the City of Toronto could most effectively implement a TIF scheme.

Implementing tax increment financing in Toronto learning from the Alberta experience

In Toronto, and cities across Canada, increasing population intensification in urban centres has put pressure on municipalities and created uneven patterns of growth. Tax increment financing (TIF) is a flexible tool that can direct and manage growth, fund infrastructure investments, and revitalize communities. In 2006, the Government of Ontario passed the Tax Increment Financing Act, yet no jurisdiction in the province has implemented the tool. This report identifies and analyzes how TIF can be implemented in Toronto to effectively achieve positive outcomes. To do this, a combination of literature, best practices and case studies were explored. As the municipality with the most extensive experience with TIF in Canada, Calgary’s case is a focus of the report. The findings of the research are presented in the form of recommendations guiding how the City of Toronto could most effectively implement a TIF scheme.

The Fiscal Effects of Tax Increment Financing on Rural School Districts: The Case of Iowa

Tax increment financing (TIF)—an economic (re)development tool originally designed for urban cities—has been available to rural communities for decades. This is the first study to focus solely on TIF in rural school districts, to examine TIF effects on school districts’ property tax base and rates, and to conduct event-study estimations of TIF effects. The study finds that TIF has mostly positive effects on rural school districts’ property tax base and mixed effects on property tax rates, and that TIF-induced increases in tax base come primarily from residential property and slightly from commercial property. The study’s findings assert the importance of returned excess increment if rural school districts in Iowa and many other states are to benefit from TIF.

Is Tax Competition Strategic? Spatial Distributions of Business Property Tax Abatements in the Chicago Suburbs

The authors analyze the locations of property tax abatements awarded to businesses in Cook County, Illinois from 2012 to 2014 to explore their spatial distribution and to examine local government motivations for awarding incentives. The authors’ analysis, which controls for the spatial distribution of businesses, reveals a clustering of abatements at intramunicipal geographic scales. They also find amplified probabilities that abatements are awarded to businesses located near tax increment financing districts or enterprise zones. These patterns suggest that local governments use abatements in a strategic fashion to advance policy goals. The authors use the same data to develop three indices of the degree of abatement clustering at the municipal scale for each of the 64 municipalities in Cook County that awarded five or more abatements. Most of the Chicago suburbs exhibit a pattern consistent with the strategic award of business tax incentives.