Ohio provides brownfield, demolition funding

The Ohio Department of Development has awarded two sets of grants in August that entail $67.3 million toward demolition projects and nearly $107 million that will go toward brownfield projects.

The $67 million comes from the state’s Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program. The projects selected will result in the demolition of more than 1,270 structures in nine Ohio counties.

Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted say they launched the Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program in 2021 to help communities demolish dilapidated commercial and residential buildings and revitalize surrounding properties to attract investments, businesses and jobs.

“These buildings are standing in the way of progress, so it's time to knock them down,” DeWine says. “Once these structures are gone, we expect to see new economic development opportunities coming into these neighborhoods.”

Among the larger projects is one in East Cleveland that will have the Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corp. oversee the demolition of an abandoned 13-story high-rise apartment building formerly known as Huron Place Apartments.

In Sylvania, near Toledo, a grant to the Lucas County Land Reutilization Corp. will help it dismantle a banquet hall and clubhouse at the now-defunct Spuyten-Duyval Golf Club. The former golf club is now owned by the Toledo Metroparks.

Another grant will enable the demolition of several structures in Fairfield, near Dayton, to make land available for commercial development to be overseen by the Butler County Land Reutilization Corp.

Of the more than 25 brownfield grant projects announced, several involve building and site abatement and remediation assessments or work.

More than $5 million in funding is going to the Columbus-based Central Ohio Community Improvement Corp. for the remediation and abatement of hazardous materials in a former government office building. Plans call for the building to be redeveloped into office space known as The Civic.

In Cleveland, the Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corp. has received another grant of more than $2.2 million for remediation activities including soil removal and disposal of contaminated materials, soil capping and rerouting an existing storm/sanitary line at a different 13-story residential building situated near Lake Erie on the city’s west side.

A grant of more than $2.6 million has been awarded to the Mahoning County Land Reutilization Corp. of Youngstown to address hazardous materials including asbestos and contaminated building materials including asbestos abatement, selective demolition and the removal of contaminated materials at a former industrial site dating back to 1870.

“The project aims to restore and redevelop the site while preserving its historical integrity, creating a mixed-use space for community events and businesses," the Ohio Department of Development says. "This effort will generate 155 new jobs and revitalize the local area.”