Legislation has been introduced to create the SiteOhio certification program within the Ohio Department of Development. Sites qualifying for inclusion in the program would be listed on the department’s website and actively marketed to interested persons by the director of development.
Am. H.B. 436 enacts R.C. 122.97 and 122.971 and authorizes the SiteOhio certification program. Under the program, an eligible applicant may apply to the director of development for certification of an eligible project, based upon scoring criteria to be developed by the director. If the eligible project meets all the scoring criteria, the project “shall” be listed on the department’s website and the director “shall” market the site to interested parties for development.
An “eligible applicant” means a person or political subdivision. An “eligible project” is any project that, upon completion, will be a site and facility primarily intended for commercial, industrial or manufacturing use. Any site intended primarily for residential, retail or governmental use is specifically excluded.
The bill authorizes the director to adopt rules to implement the program. This includes rules authorizing fees to cover administrative costs of the program, the authority to contract with other persons to administer all or any part of the program, and a limit to the number of sites to be certified based upon available resources and capabilities of the department.
