Governor DeWine Announces $15.5M in Brownfield Remediation Grants to Communities in 35 Counties 

(COLUMBUS, Ohio)— Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jim Tressel, and Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik today announced $15.5 million in grants to help communities in 35 counties clean up contaminated properties and prepare them for redevelopment. 

The Department of Development is awarding this funding as part of the Ohio Brownfield Remediation Program. Today’s announcement includes nearly $8.4 million for 22 cleanup and remediation projects and $7.1 million for 41 assessment projects. 

In our region, $105,000 was awarded to Logan County, and $665,000 to Union County, both for cleanup and remediation projects, and $8000 for an assessment in Marion County.

“The Brownfield Remediation Program has been transformative in Ohio, and it has been incredible to see the difference it has made all over the state,” said Governor DeWine. “Every dilapidated storefront or longtime neighborhood eyesore we help clean up is a new opportunity for our local partners to breathe new life into their communities.” 

Since its launch in 2021, the Brownfield Remediation Program has provided nearly $800 million to support 904 projects in 87 counties. 

“A vacant old warehouse or run-down gas station does more than just impact a neighborhood’s appearance — they weigh down the potential of the people who live and work nearby,” said Lt. Governor Tressel. “By investing in a future for these sites, we’re investing in a future where any community can become Ohio’s next great success story.” 

Funding awarded through the Brownfield Remediation Program is used to assess and 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. Following site remediation, properties can be redeveloped to revitalize neighborhoods and attract new economic development.    

“If you were to travel across Ohio, you’d be hard-pressed to find a community that hasn’t been made better by the Brownfield Remediation Program,” said Director Mihalik. “These projects are removing long-standing obstacles to growth, and creating opportunities for new housing, new businesses, new jobs, and better lives for our families.” 

Examples of new projects receiving awards include:  

• Ashtabula City Port Authority
  Tannery Hill Property Remediation
  $743,184 Cleanup/Remediation  
  The project will consist of soil excavation, institutional and engineering controls, and implementation of a risk management plan for the protection of construction/excavation workers at a site that had, at one time, been home to a tannery, furniture business, winery, flea market, bait and tackle shop, and more. Once all remediation is complete, the property will be redeveloped into a high-end destination lodge complete with recreational trails and a fishing platform. The project is expected to create roughly five jobs. 
  
• Clark County Land Reutilization Corporation
  Walter St. Remediation  
  $458,900 Cleanup/Remediation  
  This project will focus on the abatement of hazardous materials, disposal of debris, and demolition of standing structures at the site of a former railroad spur of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago, and St. Louis railroad system that operated between at least 1928 and 1968. The property will be used to complete the Buck Creek Trail and create a new connection from Snyder Park to Mad River Gorge and Nature Preserve.
   
• Clermont County Land Reutilization Corporation
  Former New Richmond Bus Garage 
  $400,000 Cleanup/Remediation 
  This project will consist of the demolition of a structure and removal of contaminated soil and groundwater at the site of a former business garage in New Richmond. Once all remediation is complete, the property will be redeveloped into public parking to support the Liberty Landing Project — a $13.4 million riverfront development funded through the Appalachian Community Grant Program which aims to transform the Front Street corridor into a vibrant hub for tourism, outdoor recreation, and economic growth.  
  
• Lake County Land Reutilization Corporation
  Uptown Mentor 
  $44,000 Cleanup/Remediation  
  This project will address contamination at the site of a development that has previously received funding through the Transformational Mixed-Use Development program. The future 56,000-square-foot mixed-use building will soon become part of the larger Uptown Mentor development project, following the completion of all remediation work. The project is expected to create 90 jobs.  
  
• Logan County Land Reutilization Corporation
  149 W. Columbus  
  $105,543 Cleanup/Remediation  
  This project will consist of asbestos abatement of a building in downtown Bellefontaine that was constructed in 1927 and previously used as a bar and then as a church. Following remediation, a local nonprofit organization plans to create a children’s museum in the building. 
  
• Union County Land Reutilization Corporation (Union County)
  Project Name: 303 S. Main Street
  $665,000 Cleanup/Remediation
  This project will consist of asbestos remediation and demolition of a blighted structure at the former site of Goodwill Industries now owned by the city of Marysville. Remediation of the property will improve the aesthetics of the area, remove a dangerous structure, and improve access to the cityʼs stormwater drainage system so improvements can be made.
  
• Marion County Land Reutilization Corporation (Marion County)
  Project Name: Frontier
  $8,000 Assessment
  The project will conduct a Phase I environmental assessment, with plans to conduct a Phase II assessment, and demolition at a former Frontier Communications site. Once all work is complete, the property will be utilized by the county as a township maintenance building.

This round of funding was made possible with support from the Ohio General Assembly in the most recent biennium budget bill, which allocated $200 million toward the program. As required by the bill, $1 million has been reserved for applicants in each of Ohio’s 88 counties for Fiscal Year 2026, with awards being made via a merit-based process.   

Projects that assess or remediate brownfield properties are eligible for funding.  Entities that contributed to the contamination of properties are not eligible to apply.   

The Brownfield Remediation Program is part of Governor Mike DeWine’s Ohio BUILDS Initiative, which focuses on supporting targeted solutions that impact quality of life, such as water infrastructure improvements, broadband expansion, brownfield redevelopment, and the demolition of blighted buildings.