DELAWARE — The Delaware County Land Reutilization Corp. is working to finalize which properties to submit for demolition funding ahead of a May 1 state deadline.
The funding comes from Gov. Mike DeWine’s Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program, which allocates $230,000 to each county for demolition projects.
So far, Delaware County has formally committed $35,000 toward one property — a house at 1251 U.S. Hwy. 23 N. that neighbors the former Delaware County Service Center along the Olentangy River.
Emily Rastorfer from Civil & Environmental Consultants Inc. (CEC) said she anticipates the former service center will be part of this round of demolition funding, too.
“[The service center] was submitted initially, but some additional assessment was needed to prove that it wasn’t a brownfield,” Rastorfer said.
“There was a Phase 2 and some additional surveying done, and I understand that those reports are ready. The conclusion is that it’s not a brownfield. So, it would be eligible for the demolition program.”
A brownfield site is an abandoned or underutilized industrial or commercial area that has real or perceived environmental contamination. The state allocates $1 million to each county for brownfield projects, and Delaware County has already allocated about $1.5 million.
Rastorfer added the city of Powell has two potential sites that may qualify for the demolition program — a house on Scioto Street and a structure on Bennett Farm. However, she wasn’t sure if they would be ready before the deadline.
With rising costs for the confirmed projects and the possibility of adding the Powell sites, the land bank may utilize nearly all the funds.
“As of this morning, the project costs for those two are about $130,000,” said Justin Theodorakos from CEC. “The Powell projects, they’re normally ranging like $50,000, so we might be able to use up most of it.”
Previous Delaware County Land Bank projects
The first two rounds of Delaware County’s brownfield and demolition grants have helped reutilize sites like the historic Sunny Vee Nursing Home, and opened space for companies like Homeport to build affordable housing.
All the projects (both brownfield and demolition) from the Delaware County Land Bank:
All the demolition projects in the Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program:
