Cincinnati City Council is considering an ordinance allowing the City to accept and appropriate approximately $475,000 in Economic Development Initiative grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for remediation work at the MetroWest Commerce Park site in Lower Price Hill.

The grant, which is the result of a 2008 request for $1.5 million in federal funding, would be used for soil and groundwater remediation, infrastructure improvements, consultant work, environmental assessments, and site preparation.

No local match is required for the grant.

Developers Al. Neyer Inc. and Resurgence Group LLC have proposed four or more LEED-certified buildings totaling 250,000 square feet and housing light industrial, flex and office space on 18 acres on and around the former site of Queen City Barrel, which burned down in August 2004.

The developers estimate that the $25 million project could create 400 jobs at buildout in seven to 10 years.

Previous reading on BC:
Cincinnati creates MetroWest remediation account (4/28/09)
Council to vote on MetroWest account today (4/22/09)
Cincinnati approves bonds, land swap, lease for new MSD offices (3/20/08)
Cincinnati wants $15M in bonds, land swap for MSD offices (3/3/08)
MSD needs new office building (11/15/07)