Columbus, Ohio – Communities across Ohio are set to receive a massive financial boost aimed at transforming contaminated and abandoned properties into productive sites for housing, jobs, and economic development after state leaders announced more than $61 million in new brownfield funding awards.
Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jim Tressel, and Lydia Mihalik revealed the latest round of grants through the state’s Brownfield Remediation Program, which will support cleanup and assessment work in 75 counties.
According to the Ohio Department of Development, the funding includes $45.8 million dedicated to 84 cleanup and remediation projects along with another $15.3 million for 76 assessment projects.
Officials said the money will help communities address long-standing contamination problems tied to abandoned industrial, commercial, and institutional properties.
“Sites like these do no good when they’re left alone to contaminate the soil and impact the health of our neighborhoods,” Governor DeWine said. “Throughout the past five years, we’ve changed the trajectory of hundreds of properties that once held our communities back, turning long-neglected eyesores into places of possibility.”
Since launching in 2021, the Brownfield Remediation Program has awarded nearly $780 million to support 841 projects in 87 Ohio counties.
State Leaders Say Redevelopment Will Create Jobs And Housing
Lt. Governor Tressel said restoring neglected properties can create new opportunities for residents while strengthening local economies.
“Any time we’re able to take a forgotten property and give it new life, it opens the door to new opportunities for the people who call that community home,” Tressel said. “When we transform these sites, we’re investing in stronger local economies, stronger neighborhoods, and a stronger future for communities across Ohio.”
Officials explained that the grants help communities investigate and clean up brownfield sites that have been abandoned or underused because of possible hazardous substances or petroleum contamination.
Once remediation work is complete, the properties can be redeveloped for housing, businesses, offices, industrial uses, and community improvements.
“The Brownfield Remediation Program continues to show what’s possible when state and local partners come together with a shared vision for a better future,” Mihalik said. “By working alongside local leaders to clean up and prepare these sites for redevelopment, we’re helping remove long-standing barriers to progress and unlock new opportunities for our communities and the great people who call them home.”
Several major redevelopment projects highlighted in the announcement are expected to create hundreds of jobs across Ohio.
In Cedarville, the former Reddy Electric industrial property received $1 million for cleanup work at a 24-acre site contaminated by decades of manufacturing activity.
Officials said the project includes asbestos removal, demolition of unsafe structures, hazardous waste cleanup, soil excavation, and vapor mitigation work.
The redevelopment is expected to create up to 250 new jobs while retaining another 150 positions through future warehouse, training, and office operations.
Meanwhile, the Guernsey County Port Authority received another $1 million for continued stabilization work at the D.O. Hall Business Center.
Officials said the project will address underground abandoned coal mine issues beneath a nine-acre parcel to prepare the location for future industrial development while protecting more than 500 current jobs and creating 90 additional positions.
Historic Buildings And Waterfront Sites Targeted For Redevelopment
In Columbus, Woda Cooper Companies received $1 million to continue redevelopment work inside the former downtown YMCA building.
The project, known as Lofts at 40 Long, will convert the historic property into 121 affordable apartments serving hundreds of residents.
Cleanup work includes asbestos abatement, lead paint mitigation, and selective demolition while preserving architectural features.
Officials estimate the redevelopment could support 604 new jobs.
Additional funding is also headed to Lorain for continued work at the former Lorain Pellet Terminal waterfront site.
The city received nearly $1 million to support sanitary lift station installation and management of contaminated soils as part of a broader mixed-use redevelopment effort that could range from $80 million to $180 million in investment and generate approximately 200 permanent jobs.
Another major project in Akron will focus on restoring the historic Quaker Square complex.
The Summit County Land Reutilization Corporation received $1 million for mold remediation, asbestos cleanup, biological waste removal, and demolition work inside more than 400,000 square feet of vacant buildings.
Plans call for future housing, hotels, offices, retail space, and public improvements, with officials estimating the redevelopment could create up to 1,000 jobs.
State leaders also announced funding for demolition of the deteriorating former Kunkle School in Williams County to prepare the site for future single-family housing development through the Welcome Home Ohio initiative.
The newest round of awards was funded through Ohio House Bill 96, which allocated $200 million to the Brownfield Remediation Program.
Officials said additional applications for counties with remaining set-aside funding will open May 18 and remain available through June 5 as Ohio continues pushing redevelopment projects aimed at revitalizing communities statewide.
