The Ohio Department of Development presented an overview of its biennial priorities to the House Development Committee, highlighting both large private investments and community-level programs and asking lawmakers to support the agency’s approach to allocating new state funds.

The department’s director, speaking to the committee, described the state’s recent economic development wins and said the agency is balancing those with investments that serve smaller communities. “We are continuing our streak, of big wins in securing the largest economic development projects ever in the state of Ohio like Anduril Industries,” the director said, citing a 5,000,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Pickaway County the agency says will create roughly 4,000 direct jobs and 4,500 indirect jobs.

Why it matters: Committee members pressed the department on how program rules are written and how the agency prioritizes projects. Those answers matter because the agency oversees funds intended to spur housing, clean brownfields, expand broadband and provide loans for small and under-resourced businesses across all 88 Ohio counties.

Key details: The director told the committee that the department has provided large sums for community projects in recent years—citing $657,500,000 for brownfield remediation and cleanup, about $3,000,000 for demolition of blighted buildings, and over $620,000,000 for drinking-water and sewer projects since 2021. The department also reported $78,800,000 awarded this biennium in low-interest loans for under-resourced businesses and said its Small Business Development Center network has helped more than 12,000 business owners secure funding. On workforce training, the agency said the TechCred program has awarded more than 125,000 credentials.

Housing proposal and program shifts: The director described a proposed $100,000,000 Ohio Housing Investment Opportunity Program to support infrastructure projects in border and rural counties. The director also said several assistance programs historically run by Development (HEAP, HIP, HWAP, CSBG) will be shifted to the Department of Job and Family Services to streamline eligibility and make it easier for residents to apply once for multiple supports.

Broadband funding: The director warned that federal broadband dollars managed by the NTIA and Department of Commerce have not yet arrived for the state. “Here we are in 2025, and the state has yet to receive any money to actually do broadband expansion,” the director said, noting the office of Broadband Ohio has a deployment plan ready to go when funds are allocated.

Committee concerns and follow-ups: Lawmakers asked for further detail on county-level distribution for brownfield and demolition funds, the reasoning behind prioritizing former brownfields, the size and duration of proposed housing funding, and whether manufactured housing can be included in programs such as Welcome Home Ohio. The director agreed to provide district-level data and to continue stakeholder engagement on program rules.

What’s next: Lawmakers asked the agency to return with more detailed program rules, district-level data and clarifications on how cash-flow and loan-fund replenishment will affect lending programs before final budget decisions.