Athens County Land Bank files state demolition grant application

March 2, 2022

From Staff Reports, Athens Messenger

The Athens County Land Reutilization Corporation filed a grant application on Monday with the Ohio Department of Development to demolish 42 buildings and six mobile homes in a countywide effort to eliminate blight.

Funding became available through the state budget passed last summer that allocated $150 million to the effort state-wide. Athens and every other county was given $500,000 “set-aside” available to them for qualifying projects. Applications for more than the $500,000 require a 25% match for the amount beyond the initial allocation.

Properties are located in 13 different villages or townships across the county.

“This grant represented a fantastic effort to collaborate with folks all over Athens County to solve issues related to nuisance properties and create a pathway to redevelopment of those parcels.” said County Treasurer and Land Bank chair Ric Wasserman.