A city-commissioned study that said Columbus has been too generous with tax breaks in the Short North has done little to change the minds of the developers building up the district and the opponents of abatements.

Developers say the types of projects they’re doing aren’t financially feasible without the incentives. Those who have challenged the city’s policies say it confirms what they have been saying for years.

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“There’s a reason why the Short North and the urban development in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the hottest in the United States,” said Mike Schiff, of Schiff Capital. “The reason is the city has been on board to help make that happen. Without the incentives it would never happen.”

But tax attorney Jeff Rich, who often represents school districts in disputes over tax bills, said developers have been avoiding paying a fair share for years, hurting school districts.

“What in the world do we need them for if they’re not going to share in the public burden of keeping up the community?” he asked.

The Columbus study was wide-ranging. It found that tax incentives aren’t needed at all for Short North development that depends on surface parking off High Street. Even for projects on High Street with parking garages, the incentives are too high, the study says.

In struggling areas such as the Hilltop, Near East Side and Linden, however, the incentives aren’t enough to make most residential developments profitable because rents there remain too low. The study says additional subsidies are needed to spur development in those areas.

The study says the city could “recapture” a portion of the abatements it offers in the Short North and use that money to pay for other city objectives. If current trends continue, recapturing about 21 percent of future abatements in the Short North could generate $1.7 million a year.

Mayor Andrew J. Ginther has said the city won’t stop offering incentives but that it needs to evaluate “what are the right types of incentives.” Ginther said he wants to figure out how the city can use incentives to help push other public policy initiatives, such as expansion of pre-kindergarten education and affordable housing.

Ginther said his administration will recommend policy changes within the next year.

Columbus City Council members, who approve incentive deals, would not comment Friday, a spokesman said. Councilwoman Elizabeth Brown, who oversees the council’s economic development committee, plans to gather public input on the study, but it’s unclear what form that will take.

“It sounds like (the study) was done because there wasn’t a guiding principle that was leading development policy,” said Will Petrik, who is part of the Yes We Can group that has criticized tax deals the city has struck. “Our development policy needs to be guided by clear, transparent benchmarks.”

Rich said the study confirms that tax incentives are “welfare for the wealthy” and that the city has been handing them out without a plan.

“If I’m representing a developer today and don’t get 100 percent tax abatement, I’m committing malpractice,” he said.

The study said Columbus should divide neighborhoods into three tiers, with the city tailoring incentives for each one. Incentives offered in developed areas such as the Short North would be different than the Near East Side, for example.

Schiff said tax incentives will be the driver for revitalization efforts elsewhere around the city, as they were in the Short North.

“Incentives in an area that’s not having activity creates activity, and our city is a great example of that,” he said.

Parking garages, building materials that mirror the look of existing Short North buildings and construction along lot lines to maximize density all drive up the cost of projects, Tyler Puhl, leasing director with the Wood Cos., said in a written statement.

Incentives are needed to offset those costs, he said.

“We can’t speak for others, but without these tax abatements, we would not have been able to develop to the level that the historic district requires or develop structured parking,” Puhl wrote.

rrouan@dispatch.com

@RickRouan