Ohio Job Ready Sites (JRS) Grant Program
February 08, 2008
Funding Agency: ODOD
Contact: Melissa Zoller
Additional information about the program and the attached documents are available at http://www.odod.state.oh.us/edd/obd/jrs/
New!
The combined Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 and 2009 Job Ready Sites (JRS) Application for Grant Assistance and Scoring Sheets are now available on the "Applications" page of this website.
The JRS program is a key element of
The DPWIC map and contact information are provided in the Application. During this combined FY 2008 and 2009 funding round, the Ohio Department of Development is making available $48.5 million, with assistance of up to $5 million for each eligible project. JRS funds may be used for the acquisition of land or buildings; construction; site, building and infrastructure improvements; feasibility studies; obtaining surety bonds and insurance premiums; and the remediation of environmentally contaminated property.
Questions regarding the program may be directed to: Nathan Harber Administrator, Ohio Job Ready Sites (JRS) Program at the Office of Tax Incentives - 614- 466-6667 -- nharber@odod.state.oh.us
Eligibility: Entities that can apply for JRS Program assistance are political subdivisions, non-profit economic development organizations, and private, for-profit entities that obtain prior approval from the Director of ODOD to submit application materials
Program Background
On November 8, 2005, Ohio voters approved a $2 billion public works and economic development bond package, including $150 million in bonds to be issued during the next seven years to help develop an inventory of job-ready sites around the State. The Ohio Job Ready Sites (JRS) program, funded with the bond proceeds, is intended to stimulate the compilation and development of large parcels of land, and in some cases large buildings, that ultimately will attract significant investments and create high wage job opportunities for Ohioans.
The $150 million in bond proceeds will be allocated to the JRS program as follows: $30 million during each of the first three years of the program (starting State Fiscal Year 2006, which began July 1, 2005), followed by $15 million during each of the remaining four years of the program. The JRS program will distribute these funds each year in the form of grants, with two-thirds of the annual allocation awarded through a competitive funding round process and one-third administered by the Director of the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) through a discretionary account having an open funding cycle.
Program Details
- The maximum grant award is capped at $5 million per project site and the grant amount cannot exceed 75 percent of the total project cost.
- Eligible projects will include sites intended for manufacturing, distribution, research and development, and corporate office developments. Sites developed for retail, residential or government uses are not eligible under the JRS program.
- Allowable project site costs covered by JRS grant funds include land and building acquisition, all types of infrastructure and utility improvements, site preparation, building construction and demolition, environmental assessments, wetland mitigation, brownfield remediation, and professional services (capped at 10 percent of the grant amount). Administrative costs assessed by, or fees paid to, the grant recipient are not eligible.
- Grants from the JRS program will require a minimum 25 percent local match, which can include local, federal or private funds.
- The project site should be appropriately zoned for the intended use, or zoning proceedings should be well underway at the time of application. This requirement applies also to sites that must be annexed, if applicable.
Application Procedure
The ODOD’s Economic Development Division will administer the JRS program, with assistance during the competitive funding round provided from the Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) Integrating Committees. Applications can be submitted to one of the respective nineteen (19) local OPWC Integrating Committees from any political subdivision or non-profit economic development organization. The Integrating Committees (or their designated review teams) will rank and prioritize projects in each of the nineteen (19) districts based on criteria provided by the ODOD and by district priority. Up to three projects in each OPWC district can be submitted to the ODOD, where the applications will be ranked on a statewide basis using the same criteria. The Director of the ODOD will make funding recommendations to the State Controlling Board for final approval. All projects will require the payment of prevailing wage for construction.
Award Recipient Selection
Criteria will be established to guide the prioritization among projects during the competitive round process. Both the OPWC Integrating Committees and the ODOD will use the same selection criteria. The criteria will be geared toward those large-scale, high-impact projects demonstrating the ability to positively affect the regional and state economies. To be included in the selection criteria are the following elements: projected economic impact of the project; strength of the applicant’s funding match; demonstrated need for the project; level of financial need; strength of the applicant’s marketing plan and/or implementation plan; and additional criteria to be identified.
Site Certification Designation
In conjunction with the JRS program, the ODOD will initiate a statewide Certified Sites program, to be sanctioned by a third party location-consulting firm with experience in matchmaking corporate users with appropriate properties for new facility investments. The value of such a Certified Sites designation is that potential prospects considering Ohio for new business investment projects are guaranteed a site meeting the minimum standards for their development purposes. Likewise, a community having a Certified Site can use that designation to differentiate itself from other communities’ un-certified sites. Certified Site programs are a growing trend in the site selection process, and several other states, including New York, Oregon, and Pennsylvania, already have established such programs.
Project sites receiving JRS grant funds will be required to receive a Certified Site designation through this new ODOD-administered program. The ODOD will waive the fee for the Certified Site designation for all JRS recipients. Certification must be received within three years of the date of award of JRS grant funds.
Ohio’s Certified Site program is currently under development. It is intended that the minimum standards for a Certified Site designation will be determined by the projected use of the site. For example, a manufacturing facility, by its nature, requires a larger water and sanitary sewer line than a distribution facility. Thus, the standard for that particular site attribute will be higher than for a distribution site. It is possible that a project site receiving JRS grant funds will qualify for more than one type of certification; if a site is developed to heavy manufacturing standards, it likely will be certified for light manufacturing and warehousing.
Other Contractual Obligations
In addition to the requirement that project sites receiving JRS grant funds obtain a Certified Site designation, recipients will be required to submit annual reports to the ODOD for a term defined in the grant agreement. The ODOD will provide for the recovery of grant funds (“clawback”) if projects fail to meet the terms of the grant agreement. As with all ODOD programs, grant recipients are subject to audit.
Last updated Jan. 13, 2006