Mayor: EPA grant could fund utilities to unlock 26-acre Struthers site but contamination, land-use changes remain hurdles

Mayor Miller told the council the city is pursuing an Ohio EPA grant to run utilities to a 26-acre parcel and described the grant as a major step toward making the site shovel-ready for development, while noting environmental and regulatory hurdles remain.

“we have that grant that KO put through for the EPA for the $7,000,000 to run the, utilities there to also, like, kill 2 birds with 1 stone,” Miller said, adding the work would address overflow issues on Hawthorne and provide the utilities necessary for future development. He cautioned that the site remains subject to EPA oversight and that changing the parcel’s use from industrial to commercial or recreational requires paperwork and time.

Miller described prior experience with a smaller parcel, noting the city spent months obtaining a covenant not to sue and working with EPA attorneys to change permitted uses. He said contaminated soil and limits on excavation (which could make basements infeasible) are likely to add cost and complexity, and he said the EPA grant would also funds remediation work needed to provide utilities.

The mayor said the city has discussed alternate uses for the property with Judge Malone, including combining a community recreation center with a relocated city hall on part of the site while marketing the remainder for private development. He said utilities, sewer depth and soil remediation will be the main technical constraints and that the city is awaiting more detailed drawings and grant decisions.