Mahoning, Trumbull Counties Receive $5.8M in Brownfield Funds

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Land banks in Mahoning and Trumbull counties were awarded more than $5.8 million Friday to conduct environmental assessments or cleanup and remediation activities at seven area sites. 

The funds were part of the total $106.9 million in state funds that were announced to redevelop 61 hazardous brownfield sites in 22 counties, according to a news release from the office of Gov. Mike DeWine.

“There is no easy way to clean up the contamination at these sites; they all need expert remediation that’s too costly for communities to take on alone,” DeWine said. “Through this program, we’re helping local communities reclaim hazardous properties so that they can be reimagined and redeveloped.”

All of the projects require a 25% match.

More than $3.8 million – or nearly two-thirds of the funds awarded in Mahoning and Trumbull counties – was directed for cleanup and remediation at two sites, the Youngstown Flea and a 200-acre section of the former BDM Steel property.

The Youngstown Flea project will involve cleanup and remediation at the former industrial site at 365 E. Boardman St., Youngstown. The project received a $2,680,371 grant.

The site contains hazardous materials, including asbestos, and contaminated building materials, and planned activities include asbestos abatement, selective demolition and the removal of contaminated materials, according to the state news release.

“The project aims to restore and redevelop the site while preserving its historical integrity, creating a mixed-use space for community events and businesses. This effort will generate 155 new jobs and revitalize the local area,” it continued. 

“This property has been a part of this community for close to 150 years,” Youngstown Flea owner Derrick McDowell said. “This building belongs to this community. The flea belongs to this community. And so this helps us as the steward of the property to unlock its potential.”

Deb Flora, executive director of the Mahoning County Land Bank, compared the situation with the Youngstown Flea building with that of 20 Federal Place in downtown Youngstown, which also had environmental issues that needed to be dealt with before McDowell could do more to expand what he already is doing there.

“It’s going to be a big step forward for his overall vision of what the Youngstown Flea property can be,” Flora said. “We already know that it’s been a driver for downtown Youngstown, so it’s going to get this boost and be an even bigger driver.”

Another cleanup and remediation grant, for $1,143,332, was awarded for the 200 West project for activities at the 200-acre Warren Township site that remains to be cleaned at the former BDM Steel property. The site was added to the 800-acre property donated by BDM in 2021 that had already been remediated. 

The property is owned by a 501(c)3 called Youngstown Warren Development Partners, said Anthony Trevena, executive director of the Western Reserve port Authority. Trevena serves on the development partners’ board, which partners with the port authority on various projects.

“That 200 acres, once remediated, could absolutely be used for future development,” Trevena said. The property is across from the 560-acre site that Kimberly-Clark Corp. purchased from the port authority in late 2023.

The port authority owns another property that received brownfield funds Friday, the former McGuffey Mall property on Youngstown’s east side that it acquired in 2022. The project was awarded $560,962 in cleanup and remediation funds to be used to demolish the remaining existing structures on the site, remove contaminants and prepare the property for future redevelopment. Plans call for the port authority to market it under the SiteOhio program, potentially enhancing site access with a proposed extension of U.S. Route 62.   

The work is expected to create nine jobs and retain 75 existing ones, according to the state release.

“If a developer were to knock on our doors tomorrow, they would not be able to do what they want to do,” said Nick Chretien, regional planning and development manager for the port authority. “So this is keying it up for development to take place and cleaning it up.”

Also receiving remediation funds were the former Peerless Winsmith property in Warren, which was awarded $905,748, and the South High School Athletic Complex in Youngstown, which received $225,138.

Work at the Peerless property, an industrial site formerly used for electric motor manufacturing from the late 1800s through 2013, will include soil excavation, groundwater treatment and vapor intrusion mitigation through sub-slab depressurization systems, according to the release. Environmental covenants will be placed on the property to restrict land use and groundwater extraction.

The cleanup will support the expansion of a women veteran-owned recycling operation and is expected to create 30 new jobs and retain 10 existing positions.

The city of Youngstown, which owns the South High complex, plans to abate asbestos in the fieldhouse, demolish the fieldhouse and outdoor bleachers and backfill and grade the site.

The redevelopment plan, which is being led by Valley Legends Stadium Consortium, includes constructing a 3,000-seat stadium with a turf football field and track, with the objective of providing a community sports facility and stimulating neighborhood revitalization, creating 35 new jobs.

“These are three really significant projects in Youngstown. I was just at a meeting recently of East Side neighbors who were intensely interested in what was going to happen with the McGuffey Mall property,” Flora said.

“It’s a source of concern for them, an area in which they’ve wanted to see action for a long time, so we’re really happy that our companions at the port authority are going to be able to put this money to work toward the end goal of having a more developable property there that will create jobs and meet the needs of people living on the Greater East Side” she continued.

The assessment funds were for two Trumbull County projects: $165,000 for the First Street Former KODU Property in Newton Falls and $123,750 for the former Van Huffel Tube Co. site in Warren, which is now owned by Dietz Road Limited Partnership. 

The former KODU property, historically used for settling ponds and agricultural purposes, now consists of densely vegetated wooded land with a large, active settling pond and three dry former settling ponds, according to the release. The site includes potential concerns such as unnatural elevation possibly indicative of buried waste.

A completed VAP Phase I Property Assessment identified the need for a Phase II assessment to determine the extent of environmental concerns, including soil and groundwater contamination. The property is intended for potential future use as a park or open space, aligning with the Village of Newton Falls Comprehensive Plan.

The assessment at the Van Huffel site is intended to identify any environmental concerns to secure a No Further Action letter, allowing the property owner to secure a loan for necessary upgrades. The project will help retain 75 jobs and create 10 new jobs by expanding Trumbull Industries’ operational capacity.

The Trumbull County funding will help put more than 250 acres of land back into productive use, said Matt Martin, executive director of Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership, which administers the Trumbull County Land Bank. 

State Sen. Al Cutrona of Canfield, R-33rd, praised the funding in a separate news release Friday afternoon.

“These funds will help restore unsafe buildings in Mahoning County and ultimately create jobs and drive local economic development,” Cutrona said. “It is crucial that the state continues to invest in the Valley and make it the best place to live, work, and raise a family.”

Pictured at top: The Youngstown Flea building at 365 E. Boardman St.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.