Southeast Ohio Brownfields Assessment Coalition
Washington, Pike, & Guernsey Counties • Ohio
The Southeast Ohio Brownfields Assessment Coalition (SOBAC), led by the Washington County Board of Commissioners in partnership with Pike County and the Cambridge-Guernsey County CIC, was formed in response to a $1.2M US EPA Brownfield Assessment Grant award to address the environmental and economic legacy of the region’s industrial past. Following the decline of coal and other extractive industries, communities across southeast Ohio have faced job loss, population decline, and underutilized former industrial sites in key corridors and downtown districts. Neighborhood Strategies, as a subconsultant to Partners Environmental, is leading the brownfield reuse planning effort for the project to reposition these properties as catalysts for economic recovery and long-term resilience.
2026 - PRESENT
SERVICES
Land Use Planning
Property Reuse Strategy
Community Planning
Market Analysis
Stakeholder Engagement
Economic Development
Government Affairs
| Transforming Underutilized & Contaminated Properties into Productive Economic Assets
The coalition has identified priority target areas in each county that have been impacted by past industrial uses. These include:
• SR-7 Corridor in Washington County
• Wheeling Ave/Downtown Cambridge in Guernsey County
• Village of Piketon in Pike County
• Village of Beaver in Pike County
Our firm is leading the reuse planning process, which focuses on transforming these assessed brownfield properties into economically productive, community-oriented assets aligned with local and regional revitalization goals. Building on completed environmental assessments, our team is guiding market analysis, stakeholder engagement, and land use planning to position each site for redevelopment that supports job creation, infrastructure investment, and sustainable growth. Through coordination with local governments, port authorities, land banks, and economic development partners, the strategy prioritizes high-quality employment opportunities and compatibility with emerging industries, ensuring that redevelopment is not only feasible but catalytic in advancing long-term economic resilience across Southeast Ohio.