Business Resources

Available parking, easy access, office incentives and an exciting growth plan for urban renewal make downtown Columbus the most exciting and rewarding place to do business. Read on for information, links and resources for doing business in Downtown Columbus.

Where is available parking in Downtown Columbus?
Is Downtown Columbus a safe place?
What is the proximity of business to business within the downtown area?
How easy is it to get downtown?
What is the Downtown Business Plan?
What organizations can be used as a resource for downtown workers, residents and visitors?
What business office incentives are available?

Where is available parking in Downtown Columbus?
Downtown has more than 35,000 hourly, daily and monthly public parking spaces. Find parking or learn more about getting around downtown.

Is Downtown Columbus a safe place?
Absolutely! Downtown Columbus is one of the safest neighborhoods in central Ohio. In fact, statistically speaking, less crime occurs within the downtown boundary than many nearby locations. In addition to the City of Columbus Police Department, two special improvement districts, Capital Crossroads and Discovery, were created to make downtown the safest commercial area in the city. Seven-day-a-week Downtown Ambassadors provide free safety services, including door-to-car escorting and reporting of suspicious activity to the police.  Please call Customer service hotline (614) 228-5718 to request a safety escort or report suspicious behavior.

What is the proximity of business to business within the downtown area?
Any downtown area business is located in the heart of Capital City commerce. Within a very short distance are the Ohio Statehouse, Columbus City Hall and the Franklin County Courthouse. Major corporations, such as American Electric Power, Huntington Bancshares and Nationwide Insurance, are headquartered downtown. Four universities are located downtown, as well, along with many other businesses ranging from Ohio's largest law firms to numerous Web design companies. At 2.2 square miles, no business is more than a short walk, speedy cab ride or quick bus trip away.

How easy is it to get downtown?
With 35 points of roadway access from every direction into downtown, residents and commuters have more transportation options than anywhere else in the region. Major interstates I-70, I-71, SR-315 and I-670 run along the borders of downtown. Further, downtown is very accessible even if you don’t have a car. There are locations throughout downtown available for moped, scooter and motorcycle parking. And there are 46 public bus lines (COTA) that run in and through downtown. Also, several bike trails feed into downtown from Bexley, Worthington and the southern parts of Franklin County.

What is the Downtown Business Plan?
In 2002, the City of Columbus and the business community embarked on a process to revitalize downtown. The resulting Strategic Business Plan represents a community-wide consensus, containing thousands of citizen suggestions, along with feedback and ideas from hundreds of community and business leaders. Most importantly, it lays out an action plan that represents the first step in re-energizing our most important economic asset — downtown.

Downtown's renewal requires vision, money and commitment from both public and private sectors. The Downtown Business Plan sets forth an impressive collaboration between the two sectors that will assure success in time for our city's Bicentennial celebration in 2012. The Columbus Downtown Development Corporation, a private, non-profit development corporation, is responsible for implementing the plan.

At its core, the plan is guided by five action strategies that are being implemented in tandem:

1. Build more downtown housing (10,000 units in 10 years)
2. Stabilize the downtown office market (add jobs)
3. Create new downtown neighborhoods on Gay Street and in the RiverSouth District
4. Develop a riverfront park system (Scioto Mile)
5. Improve parking and the movement of cars, transit and people

The full plan is available in several parts in our Publications section:

• Executive Summary
• Downtown Business Plan - Part I
• Downtown Business Plan - Part II
• Downtown Business Plan - Part III

For reports to the community on the plan's progress, please see the 2005 Community Report.

What organizations can be used as a resource for downtown workers, residents and visitors?
There are many accomplished organizations aimed at making downtown a thriving center for commerce and culture:

• Columbus Downtown Development Corporation/Capitol South
• Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District
• Discovery Special Improvement District 
• Downtown Commission
• Columbus Chamber of Commerce
• Experience Columbus

What business office incentives are available?
The Columbus Downtown Office Incentive Program helps stabilize and strengthen the market of downtown office space, as well as increase employment opportunities in Downtown Columbus by requiring the establishment of new jobs. You may be eligible to receive an office incentive if:

• You plan to relocate your company from outside Columbus city limits to Downtown Columbus, and if you will employ 10 or more people
• Your company is presently located within Columbus city limits and/or downtown and you hire 10 or more new employees who will be located downtown

Minimum Requirements:
These minimum requirements must be met in order to apply for the Office Incentive Program:

• Minimum net job creation of 10 new employees
• Jobs must locate from outside Columbus city limits
• Downtown office space only (for the purpose of this program the boundaries of downtown are defined in Columbus City Code Title 33 Section 3359.03 Downtown District boundary)
• Private-sector employers only
• Application must be made prior to signing a lease or purchasing a building; the signed lease or deed must be presented to the Downtown Development Office before the incentive can be awarded
• The term of the incentive will be two years less than the new lease for a maximum of five years, or five years for owner-occupied property; the same term applies to new prospects and existing companies that are expanding if additional office space is leased or purchased
• Office Incentive Application

For additional information or inquiries regarding the Columbus Downtown Office Incentive application, contact Bill Webster of the Downtown Development Office at 614-645-8605 or info@downtowncolumbus.com.