ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | Ottawa Kansas

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES

The City of Ottawa is committed to supporting business growth, job creation, and long-term community investment. A broad range of economic development incentives are available to encourage thoughtful development that benefits our residents, workforce, and local economy.

Incentive Programs

Incentives may be available for new, expanding, or relocating businesses, as well as housing and redevelopment projects. All incentive requests are subject to City Commission review and approval. Incentive opportunities may be available beyond this basic list and the City’s staff and advisors can pair incentives with specific project concepts or plans.

Popular Programs include:

Industrial Revenue Bonds (IRBs): Sales and property tax exemptions for qualifying commercial or industrial projects.
Constitutional Tax Abatements: Up to 10 years of partial property tax relief for eligible businesses.
Tax Increment Financing (TIF): Redirects new property tax revenue to cover eligible development costs.
Community Improvement Districts (CID): Adds a dedicated sales tax within a project district to reimburse qualifying improvements.
Transportation Development Districts (TDD): Funds transportation-related infrastructure improvements.
Special Benefit Districts (SBD): Assists with funding public infrastructure in new development areas.
Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP): Provides tax rebates for improvements to properties in designated revitalization zones.
Reinvestment Housing Incentive Districts (RHID): Encourages construction of housing through property tax reimbursement.

How to Apply

To request incentives, businesses must submit a complete Economic Development Incentive Application to the City of Ottawa Finance Department. Applications must be submitted before the issuance of a building permit.

Download Application & Policy PDF

Submit to:
Finance Department

Attn: Melanie Landis
101 S. Hickory St.

PO Box 60

Ottawa, KS 66067
Phone: (785) 229-3600

mlandis@ottawaks.gov

Annual Incentive Report

To learn more about recent activity and project examples, view the current report below:

View the 2024 Economic Development Incentives Activity Report (PDF)

Current Housing Study

The current housing study was released in April 2025 and can be found here: 2025 Housing Study