City of Franklin Awarded $1,000,000 in State Funding for Brownfield Remediation Project

FRANKLIN, OH -- The City of Franklin represents one of 75 counties receiving state grants to clean up contaminated properties and prepare them for new life. In total, $61 million is being awarded to support 160 projects.

The funding is part of the 11th round of the Ohio Brownfield Remediation Program, which was created by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine in 2021 . These awards include $45.8 million for 84 cleanup and remediation projects and $15.3 million for 76 assessment projects.

“Sites like these do no good when they’re left alone to contaminate the soil and impact the health of our neighborhoods,” said Governor DeWine. “Throughout the past five years, we’ve changed the trajectory of hundreds of properties that once held our communities back, turning long-neglected eyesores into places of possibility.”

"Any time we're able to take a forgotten property and give it new life, it opens the door to new opportunities for the people who call that community home," said Lt. Governor Jim Tressel. "When we transform these sites, we're investing in stronger local economies, stronger neighborhoods, and a stronger future for communities across Ohio."

The Brownfield Remediation Program has provided nearly $780 million to support 841 projects in 87 counties since its launch. Funding is used to assess and clean up industrial, commercial, and institutional brownfield sites that are abandoned, idled, or underutilized due to a known or potential release of hazardous substances or petroleum.

Following site remediation, properties can be redeveloped to revitalize neighborhoods and attract new economic development.

This award will support the City of Franklin with Franklin Downtown Revitalization Phase 2 . This project will remove approximately 5,000 tons of contaminated soil and install vapor mitigation systems to address metals and vapor impacts at a former industrial paper mill site. The cleanup will prepare the property for redevelopment into mixed-use residential and commercial buildings as part of Franklinʼs downtown master plan. The project is expected to create 164 new jobs.

“The Brownfield Remediation Program continues to show what’s possible when state and local partners come together with a shared vision for a better future,” said Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik. “By working alongside local leaders to clean up and prepare these sites for redevelopment, we’re helping remove long-standing barriers to progress and unlock new opportunities for our communities and the great people who call them home.”

This round of funding was made possible with support from the Ohio General Assembly in the most recent biennium budget bill, House Bill 96, which allocated $200 million toward the program. As required by the bill, $1 million has been reserved for applicants in each of Ohio’s 88 counties for Fiscal Year 2026, with awards being made via a merit-based process.

“This is the direct result of years of hard work, planning, and collaboration by City staff, Council, community partners, and residents who continue to support and believe in Franklin’s future.” said Mayor Brent Centers.

Projects that assess or remediate brownfield properties are eligible for funding. Entities that contributed to the contamination of properties are not eligible to apply.

The Brownfield Remediation Program is part of Governor Mike 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.

The Ohio Department of Development empowers communities to succeed by investing in Ohio’s people, places, and businesses. Learn more about our work at development.ohio.gov.

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