Coshocton County, Ohio is accepting bids from contractors to demolish blighted properties across the county, part of a state-funded effort to clear abandoned buildings that have dotted the landscape since manufacturing jobs began disappearing in the 1970s.

The demolitions will be funded through Ohio's Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program, which has distributed over $500 million statewide since 2015 to help communities erase the physical remnants of industrial decline. Coshocton County, population 36,600, has seen slow population loss and economic struggle for decades. Its median household income sits 20 percent below the state average.

The county's Land Reutilization Corporation and Port Authority are jointly managing the project, signaling an effort to pair demolition with future economic development. The Land Bank acquires tax-foreclosed and abandoned properties, while the Port Authority works to attract new industry. Coshocton has landed some recent food manufacturing and plastics investment, but large swaths of the county still show the scars of abandonment.

Ohio passed pioneering land bank legislation in 2009, giving counties new powers to seize blighted properties through tax foreclosure and clear them quickly. Since then, Cleveland alone has demolished more than 12,000 structures. The approach reflects a policy shift: rather than let decay spread, aggressively clear it to stabilize neighborhoods and property values.

Contractors must complete the work within 60 days of signing a contract, a tight timeline likely tied to state grant deadlines. The county will select a contractor after bids open on April 6.

The harder question remains unanswered: what gets built on the cleared lots once the rubble is hauled away.