Zanesville Incentive Districts: What to Know

ZANESVILLE, OH –The City of Zanesville announced that an ordinance has been passed to create four incentive districts at the Leasure Farm property.

An incentive district allows a private developer to take a property—often farmland—and transform it into a developed area with streets, sidewalks, and utilities. It will take about 10 to 15 years to pay off these initial costs. After that, through the 30th year, the additional revenue will continue to be used for city improvements like new asphalt or other public projects.

Mayor Don Mason and developers would like to ensure the community that schools will remain unaffected.

“These won’t have any financial impact on the schools in terms of revenue,” Mayor Mason said. “We’re actually hoping that people move into these areas with children. In this case, it’ll be west Muskingum or vocational school and we’re really hoping that this becomes a leading subdivision within our community.”

Mayor Mason says these districts will provide property tax exemptions for certain properties, with the ultimate goal of benefiting the public.

“It’s also important to note that any levies that the public has passed, or passes will again be held harmless or won’t be impacted and that those revenues will continue to be collected and distributed to those organizations.”

Zanesville’s new incentive districts aim to drive growth and development, benefiting both families and businesses, while ensuring continued support for vital city services.