COLUMBUS – A $10 million grant to help pay for environmental cleanup at a Cleveland landmark was part of more than $86 million that Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Wednesday will be targeted at brownfields.
The money available through the Ohio Brownfield Remediation Program will be used toward asbestos removal, lead-based paint remediation, and soil gas mitigation at the historic Centennial Building in downtown Cleveland.
The building at East Ninth Street and Euclid Avenue, formerly known as the Huntington Building and later as the 925 Building, was once recognized as the second-largest office building in the world with about 1.4 million square feet of property.
The Union Trust Co. opened the 21-story building after two years of construction in 1923 and 1924.
Millennia Companies bought the building in 2018 with plans to turn the 100-year-old structure into 864 apartments aimed at moderate- and low-income residents, plus create a 61-room boutique hotel, a high-end restaurant, offices, storefronts and event space.
The project is expected to create 350 permanent jobs and support more than 3,200 construction jobs.
Millennia, headquartered in the Key Tower and owner of several prominent buildings in Cleveland, has not been without controversy.
In October, federal agents raided the Waite Hill home of Millennia Companies owner Frank Sinito after the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development barred Sinito and his company from having any federal contracts for five years over millions of dollars missing from properties federally insured or funded by HUD. Sinito’s lawyer said her client and the company were cooperating with investigators and that no formal charges have been filed.
The grants the state announced Wednesday totaled $86.1 million and will target cleanup and remediation work for 65 projects and environmental assessments at 16 other sites, the state said.
Created in 2021, the Brownfield Remediation Program provides grants for the cleanup of brownfield sites, to assist in the remediation of hazardous substances or petroleum at an industrial, commercial, or institutional property.
The state committed $175 million for the program in the 2024 fiscal year, with $1 million reserved for each of Ohio’s 88 counties and the remainder for other eligible projects. Another $175 million will be allocated in the 2025 fiscal year.
Other grants announced on Wednesday were:
- $5.1 million for demolition and cleanup of a decommissioned incinerator with significant asbestos, lead-based paint, and hazardous materials contamination at the Hamilton County Land Reutilization Corporation’s West Fork Incinerator. The site will be redeveloped as part of the Mill Creek Greenway, supporting Cincinnati’s CROWN master plan for a 100+ mile multi-use trail network.
- $1.6 million for demolition and removal of a 74,592-square-foot industrial building, along with soil remediation at the Southeastern Ohio Port Authority’s Belpre Medical Campus in Washington County. The property, historically used for manufacturing and chemical storage, will be transformed into a women’s and children’s hospital, creating 50 new jobs and retaining 200 existing positions.
- $921,400 for asbestos abatement, lead paint removal, and demolition of three structures at the former Delaware County Engineers’ property. The site will be redeveloped into 44 affordable rental apartments and eight single-family homes with sustainable features and public utilities installed.
The program is part of the DeWine administration’s Ohio BUILDS Initiative, which focuses projects that bolster quality of life, such as water infrastructure improvements, broadband expansion, brownfield redevelopment, and the demolition of blighted buildings.