January 12, 2004—Washington-headquartered First Management Group (FMG) has been awarded a $2.8 million grant from the Clean Ohio Fund for the firm’s Cleveland redevelopment project, the former Cleveland Pneumatic Company (CPC) site. Following a review of Brownfields developments in Ohio, FMG’s project was ranked first in the Cleveland area and was then submitted to the Clean Ohio Council where it competed against projects from 21 other communities statewide. In December 2003, the CPC project was ranked as Ohio’s number one Brownfield initiative by the Clean Ohio Council.
FMG will redevelop the CPC site including remediation and demolition of a 550,000 sq. ft. structure previously used to manufacture and test the world’s largest aircraft landing gear, most notably the Boeing 747 and The Concord. New uses of the property will include:
- A state-of-the-art, metal heat-treat and warehousing facility for an adjacent manufacturer;
- A much-needed road realignment to increase local industrial transport efficiency; and
- Creation of contiguous land for recreation fields for the largest high school in Cleveland. The land-locked high school currently has no nearby outdoor recreation or sports fields.
Referring to the Clean Ohio Fund awards, the Honorable Bob Taft, Governor of Ohio said,
“These awards are part of our $400 million effort to preserve green space and farmland, improve outdoor recreation, and revitalize blighted neighborhoods by cleaning up and redeveloping polluted properties.” Taft went on to say that, “The Clean Ohio Fund is a powerful tool that helps communities jumpstart local economic development, and we are pleased to offer this grant.”
The CPC project represents a strong public-private partnership with the City of Cleveland, Slavic Village community, Cuyahoga County, local industry, and FMG as developer partner for the owner.
“The success of this Brownfields project is largely due to a dedicated team of stakeholders focused on reclaiming this valuable landmark for a return to public use,” says FMG’s Matt Holbrook. “The project is really a winner for everyone involved through new and retained jobs, the elimination of blight, a cleaner environment, new green space, and improved public infrastructure.”
In December 2003, Governor Taft announced that a total of 18 projects will share nearly $40 million in grants to help clean up valuable Brownfields sites that can be returned to the public for commercial and industrial use. The Clean Ohio Council, chaired by Lieutenant Governor Jennette Bradley, represents the interests of counties, townships, municipal corporations, business and development entities and statewide environmental advocacy organizations.
