Hundreds of buildings, from houses to commercial structures, will be demolished as part of Ohio Department of Development's Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program.
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599 dilapidated and abandoned structures across 15 counties in Ohio will be demolished so that the land can be "reused for new businesses, housing, or recreation," according to Lt. Governor Jon Husted.
Montgomery County will have the greatest number of deconstruction projects with a total of 266. The county stands to have 85 more demolitions than the next leading county, Trumbull, with about 180 scheduled projects.
Shelby and Union Counties will have five and one demolitions, respectively, bringing the total to 272 deconstruction projects throughout Miami Valley.
The Ohio General Assembly allocated $150 million in the 2021 state biennium budget bill to fund the Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program.
This wave of demolitions is their third round. To date, the program has funded 3,699 projects in 87 counties.
Under the program, all counties were eligible for at least $500,000 to cover demolition expenses, a spokesperson for the governor's office stated. Some counties received more than their initial funding depending on their need.
One of the notable beneficiaries is Montgomery County. With the subsidy, Dayton will demolish what is left of Lofty Oaks Lane condos, which were destroyed by the 2019 Memorial Day tornadoes. The newly cleared land will then be "prepared for future development," the spokesperson said.
"So many of these sites have been a nuisance in our communities for much too long," Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik said.
"By ridding our state of eyesores that are hindering development and impacting property values, we can revitalize our communities and attract new investments, businesses, jobs, and housing opportunities," Governor Mike DeWine said.
