In January, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) and the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) announced a new cooperative agreement to allocate $12.4 million in Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI) funds to small and mid-size food producers in...
Economic Development
Federal Brownfields Incentives Program’s Triumphant Return
On November 16, 2023, Congressman Mike Turner (R-OH-10) and Mikie Sherill (D-NJ-11) reintroduced the bipartisan Brownfields Redevelopment Tax Incentive Reauthorization Act (H.R. 6438) (BRTIRA). BRTIRA is designed to provide greater incentives for brownfield...
Powering Up: The Push for Electric Vehicle Adoption and Charging Infrastructure in Northeast Ohio
Earlier this year, the Biden administration, via the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), proposed a new plan to increase vehicle emissions standards to their most stringent level ever. While the EPA has the authority to regulate these standards, and has done so in...
Are There Opportunities in the Current Office Building Turmoil?
In recent times, the U.S. office sector has experienced an unprecedented shift in supply and demand dynamics. Recent Cushman & Wakefield reports suggest that by the end of the decade, there could be an excess of 330 million square feet of vacant office space due...
Ohio Enacts the Brownfield Remediation Program: Unlocking Brownfield Tax Incentives for Redevelopment
Ohio’s Brownfield Remediation Program incentive (BRP) was recently enacted by the Ohio General Assembly as part of budget sub-bill Sub. House Bill 33. The BRP is to be funded with $350 million, split among two fiscal years. Ohio is also funding another demolition...
Cleveland City Council Passes Community Benefits Legislation
Cleveland City Council passed Emergency Ordinance 297-2023 (the Ordinance), described as community benefits agreement (CBA) legislation on Monday, June 5th. The Ordinance focuses on improving construction contract work allocated to certified Minority Business...
Ohio House Bill 501 Expands the Possibilities for Townships Use of TIF and PILOT Incentives
Recently enacted Ohio House Bill 501 (HB 501) expands options for townships desiring to create a tax increment financing (TIF) incentives agreement. Under the HB 501, a township may create a TIF and use payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs) received through the TIF for...
Ohio Changes Community Reinvestment Area Exemptions
Ohio Senate Bill 33 (S.B. 33), which makes significant changes to Ohio’s laws regulating Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) incentives, goes into effect April 3, 2023. Introduced in early 2021, S.B. 33 aggressively expands the availability of CRAs, the benefits they...
Sustainable Store Grants Now Available for Cuyahoga County Retailers
Retailers in Cuyahoga County can now apply for Sustainable Store Grants of up to $5,000 to help eliminate plastic checkout bags from their operations. The initiative is being supported by the Cuyahoga County Departments of Consumer Affairs and Sustainability, as well...
Ohio Takes One Step Closer to Statewide Passenger Rail
“It’s a good time to be in transportation!” says William Murdock, Executive Director of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC). Speaking to KJK’s Samir Dahman and James Scherer, Mr. Murdock, who heads one of Ohio’s largest regional planning agencies, spoke...