CUYAHOGA COUNTY, Ohio — Earlier this week, the state of Ohio awarded more than $60 million in funding to help local communities clean up dozens of contaminated properties to make way for future economic development.
Nearly a third of those funds will be coming to Cuyahoga County.
As part of the new Ohio Brownfield Remediation Program, the Ohio Department of Development is providing funding for 78 projects, including approximately $54.8 million for 37 clean-up projects and $5.5 million for 41 assessment projects. These projects will impact communities in 35 counties across the state.
According to Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish, nearly $20 million in funds from Ohio's Brownfield Remediation Program will be available locally.
“We are thrilled that over a dozen projects were awarded nearly $20 million in funding today through the State’s Brownfield Remediation Program. Many of these sites – which include former gas stations, repair shops, storage spaces, schools, warehouses and other manufacturing facilities – have sat dormant for several years, some even for decades," said Budish in a statement.
"This money will be instrumental in bringing much-needed economic growth to several communities, many of which include underserved neighborhoods that have long been neglected. These are exciting projects and many of them have mixed-use plans for development, which include a hotel, brewery, public park, office and industrial space, arts and technology incubator, new apartments and other residential buildings geared toward affordable housing."
One of the projects for Cuyahoga County highlighted by DeWine's office is $2.6 million in funding for the abatement of hazardous materials and demolition of hazardous sites on a 3.6-acre property that houses an industrial facility, factory buildings, and warehouses constructed in the 1890s. The site, most recently home to Paramount Stamping and Welding, is expected to be redeveloped into a mixed-use development space.
"I would also like to remind everyone that Cuyahoga County has proposed $5 million in ARPA funds toward its Brownfield Match Funding Program," Budish added. "We are encouraging those who were awarded today, along with anyone else who has applied or plans to apply to the State program, to fill out a preapplication form with us.”
Click this link to download the preapplication form and email to brownfieldinfo@cuyahogacounty.us.
Meanwhile in Canton, the state will provide $3.4 million to remove materials containing asbestos from the city's first skyscraper, the 1914 Renkert Building. The removal of toxic asbestos will allow for the planned redevelopment of the building into a 92-room extended-stay hotel.
"These hazardous, decaying sites – some of which have been vacant for decades - are barriers to economic growth and community revitalization, but now, we're going to help breathe new life into these areas," Gov. DeWine said in a statement. "The projects we’re funding today will not only revive these sites for new development, but they’ll also improve quality of life and open the door for exciting new opportunities for the citizens of our state."
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Editor's note: The video above is from Governor DeWine's State of the State address on March 23, 2022.
