Ohio is ramping up its efforts to transform abandoned properties and contaminated sites into new opportunities for development. The state announced more than $55 million in grants for brownfield remediation and building demolition projects across the state, marking the seventh and final round of funding for this biennium.
The funding, administered through the Ohio Department of Development, is split between two programs: $22.7 million for the Ohio Brownfield Remediation Program and $33.2 million for the Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program. These initiatives are part of the broader Ohio BUILDS Initiative, which focuses on improving quality of life through targeted infrastructure investments.
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Across the country, aging infrastructure and historic contamination can be a blight on the economic prosperity of communities. This latest round of funding exemplifies a growing trend among state governments to turn these circumstances around with much-needed investment. Since 2021, Ohio has awarded more than $510 million for brownfield remediation and $303 million for demolition projects, creating new opportunities for development in areas previously considered unusable.
The brownfield remediation grants will support cleanup efforts at contaminated sites across multiple counties. One of the larger projects includes $2.4 million to transform a former manufacturing site in Fulton County into a mixed-use development featuring both commercial and residential spaces. The initiative has already supported more than 6,000 demolition projects statewide since its inception.
In Elyria, demolition funding will help remove the long-vacant former Dillard’s department store at Midway Mall, while the city of Franklin will use its grant to demolish multiple buildings along East Sixth, West Fifth, and River Street as part of its historic downtown revitalization efforts. In total, the demolition grants will fund the removal of 1,091 vacant and dilapidated buildings across 65 counties.
The demolition program was structured to ensure widespread benefit across the state, with $500,000 set aside for each of Ohio’s 88 counties. Additional funds were then distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. 61 of the awards announced represent counties claiming their full set-aside amount, pending final eligibility determination.
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