New Ohio budget invests $500M in brownfield revitalization, demolition of vacant commercial and residential property

July 1, 2021, marked the beginning of the State of Ohio's new fiscal year, bringing with it the new biennial budget. This most recent budget, passed by the Ohio General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Mike DeWine, included $350 million in one-time spending for the clean-up, remediation and revitalization of brownfields, as well as $150 million for the demolition of vacant and abandoned commercial and residential sites around the state, for a total of $500 million invested in Ohio’s distressed properties.

Established under new R.C. 122.6512, each of Ohio's 88 counties will receive $1 million via the newly created Brownfield Remediation Program, funding which can be spent in the next year on the remediation of brownfields in each county. A further $500,000 for the demolition of commercial and residential buildings and the revitalization of surrounding properties on sites that are not brownfields is available to each county via the Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program. The remaining funds for both programs, representing $262 million for brownfields and $106 million for demolition and revitalization, will be awarded to projects on a first-come, first-served basis throughout the state. 

Both programs will be administered by the Ohio Department of Development, which will write rules governing the programs and ensure each program is operational by September 29, 2021, within 90 days of the bill’s effective date. Bricker will continues to monitor further steps toward establishing these programs and addressing Ohio’s backlog of brownfields. For more on brownfield revitalization, read this article.