Valley to receive $12.4 million for clean-up of brownfields, remediation of buildings
Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted announced funding for 112 brownfield and remediation sites around the state on Friday. Here are the sites in the Valley that will benefit from the restoration of and cleanup efforts, which will offer the potential for new economic development.
MAHONING COUNTY
Mahoning Co. is set to receive $9,187, 610 for the following projects:
Location: 20 Federal
Work to be done: Redevelopment
Amount: $6,962,250
Cleanup/Remediation: Dating to 1875 as the Strouss department store. In 1986, Strouss closed its doors, and the following year, the building was converted into ground-floor retail and offices for a discount pharmacy chain and renamed the Phar-Mor Centre. Phar-Mor operations ceased at the site in 2002, and smaller office tenants and city departments have operated the space over the years.
Remediation activities: Abatement of asbestos, and removal of hazardous materials in addition to interior demolition.
Goal: Youngstown is working to redevelop the property that includes small business stands, a food hall, first-floor retail, and a technology incubation space on the upper floors.
CASTLO Area A, Cleanup/Remediation, $496,000.
This five-acre property was once part of the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Struthers division. Two structures sit on the property and require remediation prior to rehabilitation. Metal and petroleum contaminants will be removed from the site in addition to groundwater remedial activities. After cleanup, the site will be redeveloped as a mixed-use facility, supporting a new retail outlet, indoor sports training, and small manufacturing operations. Site acreage along the Yellow Creek and Mahoning River will become a public park and a gathering space for outdoor activities. This is the last parcel that remains on the site that needs remediation.
Former Royal China Facility, Cleanup/Remediation, $1,492,670:
Constructed in the 1890s in Sebring, the pottery closed permanently in 1986 and was later used as a storage facility. A 2010 fire damaged many of the buildings on the property, which were later demolished. Chemicals from the pottery operations are present throughout the site. Remediation will occur in the former shop, glazing, and kiln areas as well as any water on the property. Contaminated soil will also be removed. After remediation, the site will be available for redevelopment. Deb Flora of the Mahoning Co. Landbank said this project will be a 16-month clean-up, and was finally able to happen through the help of the Mahoning Co. Commissioners and property owner Mike Conny, that provided matching funds to make the project possible.
131 W. Woodland, Cleanup/Remediation, $149,803:
Utilized as a church from 1926 to 2016, this site has been vacant and is beyond reasonable repair. Asbestos is present throughout the site and must be remediated prior to demolition. After demolition, the property will be redeveloped as a 30-unit, two- and three-bedroom affordable housing townhouse complex. The development would be the first housing credit property funded in more than 15 years in Mahoning County. Flora said that after the clean-up and demolition, the parcel, which sits adjacent to the former GE site along Market Street and the I-680 onramp will be a large site for potential redevelopment.
2307 Market St., $86,887 Cleanup/Remediation: Built in 1921, this building operated as the Fairmont Ice Cream Shop in the late 1940s and 1950s. After that, the building housed a series of bars with apartments on the upper levels. The building has been vacant for more than a decade and is beyond reasonable repair. Remediation activities include the removal of asbestos-containing materials and disposal of hazardous material prior to demolition. After cleanup, the land bank plans to utilize the site for Transit-Oriented Development. Flora told 21 News that the remediation of the two buildings is part of the effort to improve the Market St. corridor.
TRUMBULL COUNTY
Trumbull Co. is set to receive $3,255,623 for the following projects:
Niles GE Plant, Cleanup/Remediation, $1,726,807:
Originally constructed in 1910, this facility has been owned and operated by GE since 1912 and provided molten glass for the manufacture of glass portion for light bulbs. All structures were demolished in the late 1990s, and a new 69,000-square-foot structure was built and is currently being used as dry storage and operations for a small contracting company. Cleanup on the site includes contaminated soil remediation and groundwater remediation throughout the property. After cleanup, the Cleveland Steel Container Corporation intends to purchase the property and build another 120,000-square-foot building to accommodate its operations.
Former Warren Gasification Plant, Cleanup/Remediation, $1,173,434:
This property is currently vacant but dates back to the late 1800s. Historical maps indicate an incinerator, ammonia well, and storage piles of coke, coal, and coal tar were present on the property. Remediation activities include the removal of contaminated soils and oils in groundwater and general remedial work to ensure compliance with EPA standards. After cleanup, the site will be marketed for residential, commercial, or industrial development.
200 West, Assessment, $300,000:
This property was developed as early as 1912 as part of a steel mill. On-site operations included a blast furnace, furnace cooling towers, a wastewater treatment plant, an oxygen fabrication plant, railroad lines, material storage yards, and oil and gas wells. Operations at the facility ceased in 2012, and demolition on the site began in 2014. The property is currently vacant, and the remaining buildings are unsafe. An assessment will be completed on the property to determine any contamination from the site’s industrial history.
999 Pine Ave., Assessment, $55,382: In the 1920s, this property was utilized for a dry-cleaning operation and several residential houses. A filling station and auto body repair shop were later constructed. These structures were demolished in the 1950s, and the property was vacant until the late 1970s when an office building was constructed on the site. An assessment is needed to determine the extent of any environmental contaminations. After assessment and any needed remediation, the property will support a net-zero energy research and development headquarters.
The Ohio Brownfield Remediation Program, the Ohio Department of Development awarded $192 million for projects for 41 Ohio counties.
“These properties are vital spaces in our communities, ones that are not only being wasted in their current capacity but oftentimes are a danger to their local communities,” said Governor DeWine. “Today, we’re reclaiming these spaces for the future of our residents, businesses, and communities.”
