Charah Solutions plans power plant redevelopment in Ohio

Louisville, Kentucky-based Charah Solutions Inc. says it has completed the full acquisition of the Avon Lake Generating Station and adjacent property about 20 miles west of Cleveland.

Charah has purchased the land and idled coal-fired power plant from Atlanta-based GenOn Energy Holdings and says it will begin “environmental remediation and sustainable redevelopment of the property immediately.”

Through its subsidiary Avon Lake Environmental Redevelopment Group LLC (ALERG), Charah says it has acquired 40 acres of property on Lake Erie, which it describes as consisting of “multiple parcels of land adjacent to the retired generating plant, including the generating station, submerged lands lease in Lake Erie, substation/switch gear and transformers, administrative offices and structures, coal rail and storage yard parcels south of Lake Road as well as the interconnection agreement.”

ALERG will be responsible for the shutdown, decommissioning and demolition of the coal power plant and performing all environmental remediation and redevelopment work at the site.

The redevelopment group says it has retained Toronto-based Avison Young to provide real estate advisory, development and brokerage services “to advise on the redevelopment of the property in an environmentally conscious manner and for the future sale of the remediated property.”

ALERG has also retained Gensler, a San Francisco-based architecture and planning group, listing that firm as among an alliance that “will position the property to expand economic activity and benefit the surrounding communities through job creation and enable this site to provide the best potential use for the community and City of Avon Lake moving forward.”

Avison Young, Gensler, ALERG and the City of Avon Lake have been in the planning stages for the future use of the site for several months, according to Charah.

“The closing of the power plant is an end of an era,” states Avon Lake Mayor Greg Zilka. “The plant provided jobs for residents over a span of almost 100 years. The plant also provided revenue for the city and schools in order to fund city services and educate thousands of students. We are looking ahead to a new era, and the potential for a bright future is within our grasp. We will make the most of this opportunity.”

Comments Andre Brumfield, a Gensler principal and board director, “The transformation of the [site]  offers the city of Avon Lake an historic opportunity to reclaim a strategic piece of its waterfront, giving its citizens access to a new public realm along the shoreline of Lake Erie and creating a platform for new development and growth. Gensler has crafted a plan that respects and builds upon the heritage and identity of the power plant site while also looking distinctly forward to author a new vision for the city's future.”

Charah Solutions describes itself as a sustainability leader in utility services for over 30 years, saying it is dedicated to preserving natural resources in an environmentally conscious manner through environmental remediation and redevelopment projects. Among its sustainability-related priorities, says the firm, are to decrease landfill disposal, remediate land, conserve natural resources and protect waterways. For more information regarding Charah Solutions' commitment to sustainable practices, download our 2020 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report at.

“Our Environmental Risk Transfer services provide a single-source answer for large-scale, complex environmental solutions for our utility partners,” says Scott Sewell, the firm’s president and CEO. “The Avon Lake project is another example of Charah Solutions providing a custom approach for these complex projects while sustainably remediating the site and redeveloping the property in an environmentally responsible manner that creates economic and environmental benefits for the entire community.”