Ashland County is among 32 Ohio counties receiving state funding to demolish unsafe buildings.
Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik announced $7.3 million in grants through the Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program, according to a community announcement. The program aims to raze blighted commercial and residential structures to make way for new development.
The Ashland Area Economic Development Inc. was awarded $230,000, with $206,528 allocated for specific projects: 1483 Sandusky Street, 211 Claremont Avenue, 1166 State Route 250, 240 West 14th Street, 1164 Wick Avenue, 240 East Liberty Street, 147 Maple Street.
The program, created in 2021, is funded as part of Ohio’s biennium budget, with $21.5 million allocated per fiscal year. Approximately $230,000 in grants is reserved for each of Ohio’s 88 counties.
Razing blight to spark new development
The program has invested more than $310 million to support nearly 6,200 demolition projects across the state.
“For the last five years, the Demolition and Site Revitalization Program has been a powerful tool for communities working to turn blight into potential,” said DeWine in the announcement. “Each demolition clears the way for something better — whether that’s new housing, new businesses or new opportunities that strengthen neighborhoods and improve quality of life.”
“Sometimes the best way to move a community forward is by clearing away what’s holding it back,” she said in the release. “By partnering with local leaders to remove unsafe and vacant structures, we’re helping neighborhoods make way for future investment.”
The program is part of 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.
Lead entities for each grant award have until May 1 to identify all project sites for their awards.
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This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Ashland Area Economic Development Inc. gets funds to demolish buildings
Reporting by Jane Imbody, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette / Ashland Times Gazette
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