Happy Holidays from everyone at the Greater Ohio Policy Center!

We are grateful for colleagues and partners whose commitment to building vibrant, sustainable, communities in Ohio drives us. Thank you for helping GOPC accomplish so much in 2023!

Brownfields

Brownfields continued to be our top policy priority throughout 2023. Throughout the spring, GOPC advocated for renewed state investment. Our hard work paid off in July when the Governor signed a state budget that included $350 million in clean up and assessment funding. The state began accepting applications on December 5, 2023.

GOPC also hosted the 2023 Ohio Brownfields Conference which was the first Ohio-specific industry conference in nearly 6 years. We maxed out attendance at over 230 attendees! Details for the 2024 Conference are below.

Housing

In 2023, we advised Portsmouth, North College Hill, Akron, and the Mahoning Valley on ways to increase their supplies of affordably priced rentals and starter homes, and market-rate homes. These housing plans will be released in 2024.

Working with the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, we assisted Lakewood with an exploratory scenario planning process. Lakewood now has roadmaps for ensuring affordable housing for all residents now and in the future.

We also teamed up with the Ohio REALTORS to learn more about pre-approved housing plan programs and zoning changes as one tool to increase housing production. We’ll be releasing our findings and suggestions for Ohio in the coming months.

We also closely monitored the proposed rules and allocation plan for the newly created Single Family Tax Credit. We were pleased that the Ohio Housing Finance Agency listened to our suggestions for making the credit more useable in Ohio’s legacy communities.

Transportation

GOPC continued to be a leading advocate for public transportation and active transportation in 2023. We testified to protect and strengthen support for public transportation in the 2023 state transportation budget. And we launched our Active Transportation Newsletter as a way of connecting advocates, planners, and engineers as a resource to help increase the number and quality of active transportation infrastructure projects across the state.

Looking Ahead

In addition to the housing report and research that we will be releasing in 2024, we will host the 2024 Ohio Brownfields Conference on Tuesday, May 7, 2024 in Dublin, Ohio. Registration will open in January, but you can sign-up now to get details direct to your in-box.

We are developing another data-rich research report that quantifies the importance of Ohio cities in the state’s future prosperity. That research will pair with our newest public policy platform, which we will release in the early fall.

Throughout 2024, we will be walking the Statehouse hallways advocating for the issues most important to our work, including brownfields, housing, transportation, and legacy city revitalization.

Follow our online bill tracker, Twitter and Facebook pages, and blog for the latest on where revitalization-related policies stand.

If you too believe in vibrant, sustainable cities and regions in Ohio, consider supporting GOPC with an end-of-year contribution. We thank you for your generous support.

All the best for 2024!

Above: GOPC Staff (L-R) Jahvene Davis, Meg Montgomery, Aaron Clapper, Erica Spaid Patras, Jason Warner, Alison Goebel, Casey Terry