The primary work that the money will fund is soil and water testing, said Heather Wendel, environmental services and commercial redevelopment program manager for the Land Bank. That testing is then used to create a remediation and reuse plan, which is individualized for the affected property.
“Properties that we think are contaminated, we would do soil and groundwater sampling to see if it’s contaminated or how bad,” Wendel said. “A lot of what is done, as far as remediation, depends on what the proposed use is. So if it’s residential, obviously we have to be more conservative and make sure that it’s more clean than if it’s another industrial property.”
The grant money cannot be used to fund the actual remediation, though the Land Bank plans to seek funding for that through the Ohio Department of Development, again through the USEPA, or through private funding, Wendel said.
Though the money will likely be used for testing in addition to these, the coalition has three “priority” sites that the money will be used for.
The Solar Garden property at 919 Miami Chapel Road, Dayton was a manufacturing site from the 1920s to the 1970s, according to the Land Bank’s application. The property was redeveloped by an Edgemont neighborhood organization in 1978 to include community gardens and an education center, but was destroyed by fire in 2016.
Neighbors have plans to recreate an expanded version of the gardens, according to the Land Bank, and rebuild the educational facilities, but initial assessments have identified elevated levels of groundwater contaminants onsite. The property sits just north of a massive abandoned former GM industrial site.
The second property is a former tire manufacturing plant on Riverview Avenue in Dayton near Rosedale Drive, which operated from 1917 to 1980. The 36-acre site has been in disuse ever since due to environmental challenges and identified contamination, the Land Bank said. The owner’s redevelopment plan includes a youth center, recreation fields and senior housing.
The last priority property is the Trey Hardfill Site, 40 acres located on Old Harshman Road in Riverside. The site was used to excavate gravel, dispose of construction debris and landfill solid waste prior to closure in the 1990s. Initial assessments show soil and groundwater contamination, but the goals for its future use include a new municipal complex and business center.
All the money must be spent by 2029, Wendel said.
The Land Bank received a similar grant in 2022 of $500,000, all of which must be spent by this September, Wendel said, adding that those properties have progressed further toward development.
“This funding opportunity will enable the Land Bank to sustain and expand our efforts in communities across the county affected by brownfields and disinvestment,” said Montgomery County Land Bank Board of Directors Chair Carolyn Rice. “By advancing the redevelopment of these sites, we can stimulate private investment and create new opportunities in historically underserved areas, generating a positive ripple effect throughout the region.“
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