Ohio tabs additional $58.2 million to clean up and redevelop brownfields

Ohio is allocating $58.2 million in state funding to clean up and redevelop hazardous brownfield sites in counties across the state.

The Ohio Department of Development is awarding the funding through the state’s Brownfield Remediation Program. Awards include approximately $55.9 million for 46 cleanup/remediation projects and nearly $2.4 million for 15 assessment projects, the state said.

The funding will be used to clean up industrial, commercial and institutional brownfield sites that are abandoned, idled or underutilized due to a known or potential release of hazardous substances or petroleum, the department said.

Projects were awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. They include:

$10 million for the Erie County Land Reutilization Corporation to clean up Battery Park Marina. The project involves building a 768,000 square-foot mixed-use development with residential, retail and hotel spaces, along with a marina and public recreation area. The reclamation will begin after soil excavation, treatment and disposal as well as the removal of an underground storage tank and contaminants from a vacant pool.

$4.9 million for the Hamilton County Land Reutilization Corporation’s project to address asbestos removal and demolition at the historic 1905-built First National Bank building complex at 4^th and Walnut Center in downtown Cincinnati. The work will precede the conversion of the building complex into a hotel, residential units and parking facilities.

$1.1 million for the Cuyoga county Land Reutilization Corporation’s Old River Road Assemblage project. The project includes asbestos abatement and interior demolition within the historic Old River Road Assemblage, comprising several significant maritime-era structures. The first phase includes converting the 1235 Old River Road warehouse into 100 market-rate apartments, with plans for retail expansion along the street front. A second phase will redevelop the riverfront buildings for hospitality or residential use, aiming to enhance the Flats East Bank area with additional residential and commercial spaces.

$1 million for the Ross County Land Reutilization Corporation’s Transit Parcel project. After soil excavation at the former CSX rail property adjacent to Chillcothe’s City Transit Station is complete, plans include future development that will include affordable workforce housing and transit-related facilities.

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