Butler County gets Another $2.5M to Eliminate Eyesores, Remediate Brownfields
Industry Update
November 2, 2023
Source: Yahoo! News
Butler County is receiving another $2.5 million cash infusion from the state to clear the way for redevelopment, similar to the windfall received to down the old Forest Fair Mall, which is a work in progress.
Gov. Mike DeWine announced this week applications are open for a new round of the Ohio Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program, which provides $150 million in grants to raze dilapidated commercial and residential buildings.
Each of the 88 counties are guaranteed $500,000 and the rest of the money will be doled out on a first-come-first-served basis. The applications are due April 1 and the money must be spent by June 30, 2025.
“Blighted buildings have no place in our vision for Ohio’s future,” DeWine said. “These dilapidated eyesores continue to stand in the way of progress, and by helping local communities take them down, we can open these areas up for new economic development.”
Seth Geisler, executive director of the Butler County Land Bank, has been culling applications since the money was approved in the state budget in June, to ensure the county won’t leave any money of the table and can get in line for the remaining $106 million.
So far he has 23 applications for demolitions in Hamilton and Middletown that total around $300,000 but he is still collecting applications. The average price per take-down is $16,000.
“I do expect we’ll use the entire set aside,” Geisler said. “And I do hope to be awarded some above and beyond that. It depends on when I get the applications in from the cities and hopefully by the time we get it in all the funds aren’t used up.”
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