Ohio Awards $61 Million in Brownfield Remediation Grants: Over $5 Million for Southern Ohio Projects
Article presented by Tomlinson Insurance Agency …
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)— Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jim Tressel, and Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik today announced $61 million in grants to help communities in 75 counties clean up contaminated properties and prepare them for new life.
The Department of Development is awarding this funding as part of the Ohio Brownfield Remediation Program. Today’s announcement includes $45.8 million for 84 cleanup and remediation projects and $15.3 million for 76 assessment projects.
“Sites like these do no good when they’re left alone to contaminate the soil and impact the health of our neighborhoods,” said Governor DeWine. “Throughout the past five years, we’ve changed the trajectory of hundreds of properties that once held our communities back, turning long-neglected eyesores into places of possibility.”
Since its launch in 2021, the Brownfield Remediation Program has provided nearly $780 million to support 841 projects in 87 counties.
“Any time we’re able to take a forgotten property and give it new life, it opens the door to new opportunities for the people who call that community home,” said Lt. Governor Tressel. “When we transform these sites, we’re investing in stronger local economies, stronger neighborhoods, and a stronger future for communities across Ohio.”
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.
“The Brownfield Remediation Program continues to show what’s possible when state and local partners come together with a shared vision for a better future,” said Director Mihalik. “By working alongside local leaders to clean up and prepare these sites for redevelopment, we’re helping remove long-standing barriers to progress and unlock new opportunities for our communities and the great people who call them home.”
This round of funding was made possible with support from the Ohio General Assembly in the most recent biennium budget bill, House Bill 96, 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. Following today’s awards announcement, 46 counties have Brownfield Remediation Program set-aside funding remaining, up to $1 million per county. Applications for additional projects in these counties will open May 18, 2026.
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.
Applications will open from 10 a.m. May 18, 2026, through 11:59 p.m. on June 5. Remaining counties with available funding must submit new applications for future awards. Previously submitted applications will not be updated.
Among the projects in Southern Ohio:
Fairfield County Land Reutilization Corporation (Fairfield County) Project Name: Former Barclay Petroleum Property Remediation $1,000,000 Cleanup/Remediation This project will remediate a nearly 10-acre former petroleum pump station. Planned activities include removing the remaining concrete slab and pavement, extracting petroleum-impacted soils, disposing of historic gathering lines and concrete-filled drums, and installing backfill to meet environmental standards. Following cleanup and a No Further Action process, the property is anticipated to be transferred to the village of Bremen for use as expanded recreational space, including new soccer fields, a softball diamond, trails, ADA-accessible paths, and future creek access amenities.
Highland County Land Reutilization Corporation (Highland County) Project Name: Former Belfast Gas Station $164,700 Assessment This project will demolish several collapsed structures, locate former UST cavities, and confirm whether remaining tanks are present, completing BUSTR-compliant closure activities as needed. The work will also include soil and groundwater sampling to address potential petroleum impacts. The cleanup will prepare the prominent intersection site for new commercial uses, supporting local economic activity and potentially creating five new jobs.
Highland County Land Reutilization Corporation (Highland County) Project Name: Former East Main Shell $222,666 Assessment This project will advance Voluntary Action Program assessment activities at a long-vacant former gas station and auto repair facility where undocumented underground storage tank removals, potential petroleum releases, and multiple historic investigative areas indicate likely soil and groundwater impacts. Planned work includes health and safety planning, UST closure, BUSTR reporting, and soil and groundwater evaluation to prepare the site for mixed-use or light commercial redevelopment. The project is expected to create five new jobs.
Highland County Land Reutilization Corporation (Highland County) Project Name: Former Baxla Gas Station $117,128 Assessment This project will complete a geophysical survey and BUSTR Tier 1 source investigation at a former gas station property where multiple suspected underground storage tanks, monitoring wells, and past petroleum releases indicate potential contamination. Assessment findings will support development of a remediation plan and future commercial redevelopment of a long-vacant corner site.
Highland County Land Reutilization Corporation (Highland County) Project Name: Former Spruance Gas Station $150,452 Assessment This project will assess a long-vacant former gas station and trailer park site, including geophysical surveying, asbestos inspection, Phase II sampling, and proper removal of building debris and waste. The work will evaluate potential BUSTR-regulated petroleum impacts and prepare the site for future commercial or industrial redevelopment that could support community economic growth. The project is expected to create 10 new jobs.
Buckeye Hills Regional Council (Hocking County) Project Name: Former Logan Clay Factory $300,000 Assessment This project will support environmental assessment activities at the former Logan Clay facility in Logan, a vacant industrial pottery and ceramics manufacturing site with a long history of industrial use. Assessment activities will include Phase I and potential Phase II environmental site assessments to identify possible contamination associated with historic industrial operations, as well as evaluate the condition of existing structures that may contain asbestos or lead-based paint.
Jackson County Economic Development Board (Jackson County) Project Name: Chillicothe Street Gas Station $263,023 Assessment This project will complete BUSTR-regulated UST closure and corrective-action assessment at a long-abandoned former filling station where several tanks remain in place and suspected releases have been identified. Planned work includes UST removal, soil and groundwater sampling, Tier 1 and 2 investigations, and preparation of required BUSTR reports, positioning the site for cleanup and future redevelopment. The project is expected to create one new job.
Pickaway County Port Authority (Pickaway County) Project Name: 130 S Court Street $266,524 Assessment This project will support environmental assessment activities at Circlevilleʼs municipal building, a property impacted by historic underground storage tank contamination associated with a former gas station that operated near the site during the mid-1900s. Previous investigations identified petroleum contamination exceeding BUSTR action levels. Assessment activities will include soil borings, groundwater monitoring wells, and potential indoor air and sub-slab vapor sampling to further evaluate environmental conditions and support future corrective action planning. The project will help protect the health and safety of employees, and visitors using the municipal building while positioning the property to obtain a future No Further Action determination under BUSTR regulations.
Pickaway County Port Authority (Pickaway County) Project Name: 901 S Court Street $300,000 Assessment This project will complete subsurface environmental assessments at the former Purina Mill property in Circleville, where seven vacant industrial structures remain in deteriorated condition. The work will identify contamination concerns under the Voluntary Action Program and guide future remedial actions needed to support redevelopment in the cityʼs innovation and employment district.
Pickaway County Port Authority (Pickaway County) Project Name: 0 DuPont Road $166,952 Assessment This project will assess the former DuPont Tedlar manufacturing facility to support redevelopment of the site. Assessment activities build on completed Phase I and II studies, and will inform future remediation and demolition plans, helping return the long-vacant industrial property to productive use.
Pickaway County Port Authority (Pickaway County) Project Name: 415 Lancaster Pike $266,524 Assessment This project will complete BUSTR-regulated assessment activities at a former gasoline service station area within the Pickaway County Fairgrounds. Soil and groundwater sampling will determine whether a petroleum release occurred, and the resulting data will be used to pursue a BUSTR No Further Action letter to support property value and future fairgrounds planning.
Pike County Land Reutilization Corporation (Pike County) Project Name: Jasper Gas Station $251,228 Assessment This project will assess and prepare a former gas station site for redevelopment. The one-acre property contains a dilapidated five-bay garage and formerly operated as a fuel station with documented USTs. Grant-funded work will include UST removal, soil excavation, groundwater sampling, and BUSTR Tier 1 investigation activities. The assessment will determine contamination extent and position the parcel for future economic reuse, improving conditions within an economically distressed area.
Ross County Land Reutilization Corporation (Ross County) Project Name: Jordan Gas Station $167,418 Assessment This project will conduct BUSTR-regulated UST system closure and a Tier 1 investigation at a former gas station. Assessment activities include utility marking, health and safety planning, intrusive subsurface investigation, and removal/closure of the UST system. Completion will allow the Ross County Land Bank to donate the parcel to the village of Clarksburg for redevelopment as a pocket-sized veterans memorial park, creating new green space and encouraging local economic activity through increased community visitation.
Ross County Land Reutilization Corporation (Ross County) Project Name: Velvet Ice Cream Facility $87,860 Assessment This project will support environmental assessment activities at the historic Velvet Ice Cream warehouse and distribution facility in Chillicothe. Assessment activities will include Phase I and II environmental site assessments, asbestos surveys, soil borings, groundwater monitoring well installation, geophysical surveys, and laboratory analysis conducted in accordance with Ohioʼs Voluntary Action Program standards. Once complete, the project is expected to support new housing opportunities, strengthen neighborhood revitalization efforts, and create opportunities for future business expansion elsewhere in Ross County.
Ross County Land Reutilization Corporation (Ross County) Project Name: 9405 County Road 550, Union Twp $254,908 Assessment This project will support environmental assessment and underground storage tank closure activities at a former gas station and convenience store property in Union Township. Activities will include underground storage tank system closure, BUSTR Tier 1 source investigation activities, and BUSTR Tier 2 environmental evaluation to determine the presence and extent of potential petroleum contamination impacting soil and groundwater. Once complete, the property will be prepared for future redevelopment as affordable and accessible workforce housing, with plans for three single-family residential building lots.
Ross County Land Reutilization Corporation (Ross County) Project Name: Former Clarksburg Nursing Home $95,296 Assessment This project will support environmental assessment and underground storage tank closure activities at the former Clarksburg Nursing Home property in the Village of Clarksburg. The nearly two-acre site was most recently used as a senior nursing facility before the structure was demolished following years of deterioration and vandalism that created ongoing safety concerns for the surrounding community. Once complete, the property will be considered site-ready for future redevelopment opportunities.
Vinton County Commissioners (Vinton County) Project Name: Hotel McArthur $879,244 Cleanup/Remediation This project will support cleanup and partial demolition activities at the historic Hotel McArthur property in downtown McArthur. Originally constructed in 1839, the building has served as a longtime community gathering place and housed a variety of businesses over its history, including restaurants, saloons, newspapers, and retail establishments. In 2025, the structure suffered significant fire damage that left portions of the building unsafe and inaccessible, with asbestos-containing materials creating environmental hazards throughout the site. Cleanup activities will include asbestos abatement, demolition of damaged building components, and environmental remediation necessary to stabilize the property and prepare it for redevelopment under Ohioʼs Voluntary Action Program. Once complete, the Vinton County Convention and Visitors Bureau plans to renovate the building into a boutique hotel, restaurant, event and meeting space, and visitors center that will support tourism growth tied to the nearby Hocking Hills region. The redevelopment is expected to create 11 permanent jobs, support additional construction employment, and help strengthen tourism-driven economic development in Vinton County.
Vinton County Commissioners (Vinton County) Project Name: Old Vinton County Sheriffʼs Office $109,354 Cleanup/Remediation This project will complete asbestos abatement and demolition of the former county sheriffʼs office. An asbestos survey confirmed multiple asbestos-containing materials requiring removal before redevelopment. Demolition will clear the one-acre site for future expansion of office space or other downtown development opportunities in McArthur, improving safety and enabling new economic use.
