City of Toledo and Lucas County Land Bank to Demolish Long-Blighted Warehouse in North Toledo

Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz, Brandon Sehlhorst, Director of Economic Development, City of Toledo, Treasurer Lindsay M. Webb, Chair of the Lucas County Land Bank, and State Representative Derek Merrin announced the demolition of the long-blighted warehouse on 1502 Elm St.

The demolition is possible with the bi-partisan financial support from the City of Toledo and State Representative Derek Merrin.

“It’s exciting to see this program take off by removing this long-standing nuisance property on Elm Street. This state and local partnership is already paying dividends - brighter days are ahead for many neighborhoods across Lucas County!” State Representative Derek Merrin said.

This building, which has been abandoned for over 15 years, was the site of the tragic murder of North Toledo resident Cindy Sumner in 2009. The Land Bank took ownership of the building from state forfeiture in October 2021. The estimated cost of demolishing the property is $750,000.

50% of the demolition cost will be paid for through the Lucas County Commercial Site Clean-Up Pilot Program, sponsored by Representative Derek Merrin. The remaining 50% local match will be paid for by the city’s new Toledo Demolition Program that will be funded by a portion of the city’s American Rescue Plan Act allocation.

“Today’s announcement marks the beginning of the city’s demolition initiative that will leverage $6 million in ARPA funding to address long-blighted commercial and industrial structures throughout Toledo,” Brandon Sehlhorst, Director of Economic Development, City of Toledo said. “In order to remain economically competitive, we must continue to prepare sites for redevelopment and remove these blighted structures from our neighborhoods.” The Kapszukiewicz Administration intends to present legislation to Toledo City Council in the coming weeks to appropriate ARPA funding for the Toledo Demolition Program.

“The city is facilitating economic and neighborhood development. We are doing everything that we can to leverage ARPA dollars and this is a perfect example of how Toledo leverages those dollars” Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said. “We are prioritizing buildings that are depressing nearby property values and that have the greatest potential for new development.”

Demolition of the Elm Street structure is expected to commence this spring and be completed by September 2022.

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