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Greater Ohio Policy Center
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Revitalizing Ohio
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News that caught our eye: City of Middletown launches new program to develop vacant neighborhood lots. www.journal-news.com/news/middlet...
Middletown launches new program to redevelop vacant neighborhood lots
A citywide neighborhood revitalization program in Middletown will soon offer developers an initial batch of 12 city-owned vacant residential lots across four neighborhoods to gauge interest in new, ma...
www.journal-news.com
January 30, 2026 at 5:23 PM
Our January Newsletter is now available on our website, featuring

+ Registration Is Now Open for Ohio Brownfield Conference

+ Save the Date for the Ohio Active Transportation Conference

+ Recent Honors for GOPC Staff

+ New & Retired Members of Our Board & more

www.greaterohio.org/newsletters
Newsletters — Greater Ohio Policy Center
GOPC Newsletters
www.greaterohio.org
January 29, 2026 at 5:42 PM
Great story about the work of our friends at COCIC, the land bank for Franklin County, and the work they are doing to develop affordable housing throughout the area, including the suburbs. www.dispatch.com/story/busine...
Newly built Hilliard home listed for thousands less than average price
For the first time, the Central Ohio Community Land Trust built a home in a Columbus suburb. The Hilliard ranch is listed far below average sales prices. See why.
www.dispatch.com
January 28, 2026 at 3:54 PM
GOPC is excited to announce it will host the 2026 Ohio Active Transportation Conference on Wednesday, September 2nd, 2026 in Dublin, Ohio. For additional details and to sign-up to receive conference updates, please visit our conference information page.
www.greaterohio.org/blog/2026/1/...
GOPC To Host 2026 Ohio Active Transportation Conference September 2 — Greater Ohio Policy Center
This conference will focus on bike and pedestrian infrastructure, funding and financing for complete streets infrastructure improvements, successful strategies for educating the public, and more.
www.greaterohio.org
January 27, 2026 at 5:06 PM
Reposted by Greater Ohio Policy Center
Thanks to @greaterohio.org for hosting this. Lots of work needed to reclaim the streets of Ohio's cities for people.

www.greaterohio.org/ohioatconfer...
2026 Ohio Active Transportation Conference — Greater Ohio Policy Center
2026 Ohio Active Transportation Conference
www.greaterohio.org
January 26, 2026 at 6:22 PM
As everyone across Ohio works to dig out from the latest round of winter weather, we thought now would be a good time to share this blog post from last year discussing how storms create an opportunity to reconsider the design of our roadways based on snow removal. www.greaterohio.org/blog/2025/1/...
Winter weather provides unique opportunity to demonstrate actual roadway use — Greater Ohio Policy Center
Snowfall provides a useful visual demonstration of how our built environment functions and how, in turn, we can make our streets safer.
www.greaterohio.org
January 26, 2026 at 4:14 PM
Rental property registries & licensing programs are often utilized by municipalities to ensure properties meet basic standards of habitability. Registries can provide pathways for legal remedy of insufficient or inadequate rental housing conditions for tenants.
With rental registries, cities try to track housing and hold bad actors accountable • Ohio Capital Journal
As many people struggle to afford housing and tenant populations grow in some regions, more cities are turning to official registries to answer questions about their rental housing market.
ohiocapitaljournal.com
January 23, 2026 at 5:36 PM
GOPC is excited to announce a new, free service available to Ohio communities: Virtual Office Hours for Pre-Approvals.

This month: Building a Catalogue of Plans on January 27 @ 9am.

Register at www.housingoh.org/office-hours. We hope to see you there!
January 22, 2026 at 7:26 PM
From our friends at @t4america.bsky.social: The Need for a Transit Moonshot in America.

While the price tag for a European-style mass transit system in the US could cost as much as $4.6 trillion over 20 years, we are expected to spend over $6 trillion on highway capital over that same time.
World-Class American Transit
Transportation for America's analysis shows U.S. transit falls far short of global peers and what it would take to close the gap
t4america.org
January 21, 2026 at 4:05 PM
In March 2025, GOPC & the Ohio REALTORS released the Housing Ohio: Tools for Development guidebook, designed to help communities address barriers to housing in their neighborhoods. Since the book’s release, GOPC has been tracking the development of pre-approval programs in Ohio.
New Map Shows Growth of Housing Preapprovals in Ohio — Greater Ohio Policy Center
The book includes guidance for local governments on implementing a pre-approved plans program, an initiative which can reduce permitting timelines and costs associated with development.
www.greaterohio.org
January 20, 2026 at 5:02 PM
January 19, 2026 at 5:02 PM
Last week, we began sharing our top online content from 2025, counting up from 10. Posts 10-6 are below.

Today, we share the top 5 posts from last week, starting with No. 5: 5. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act and Community Development Tools www.greaterohio.org/blog/2025/7/...
January 16, 2026 at 5:03 PM
ICYMI: Registration for the 2026 Ohio Brownfield Conference is now open. Take advantage of the lowest price available with Early Bird Registration now! www.greaterohio.org/blog/2026/1/...
Registration is now open for the 2026 Ohio Brownfield Conference — Greater Ohio Policy Center
Early Bird registration is open now through the end of February, so register today to lock in the discounted rate! 
www.greaterohio.org
January 15, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Earlier this week, the Ohio Department of Transportation announced more than $97M in Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) grants, including nearly $18 million in grants in 13 counties for active transportation-related projects. www.transportation.ohio.gov/about-us/new...
January 14, 2026 at 7:10 PM
GOPC is excited to announce a new, free service available to Ohio communities: Virtual Office Hours for Pre-Approvals.

This month: Building a Catalogue of Plans

Register at www.housingoh.org/office-hours. We hope to see you there!
January 13, 2026 at 6:14 PM
Registration for the 2026 Ohio Brownfields Conference is now open! Be sure to register early to lock in your early bird price before General Registration prices kick in.
www.ohiobrownfields.com/2026-confere...
January 12, 2026 at 4:06 PM
Though we are a week into 2026, we wanted to take a look back at some of our most popular content from 2025. Today & next week, we are going to share our top 10 blog posts from the past year, going from 10-1. Today, we feature 10-6.

No. 10: Federal Pattern Book www.greaterohio.org/blog/2025/7/...
U.S. Senate Committee Advances Bipartisan Housing Bill — Greater Ohio Policy Center
The federal legislation directs the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to create new grant and loan programs of homeowners, rental assistance programs, and several new initiatives ...
www.greaterohio.org
January 9, 2026 at 8:31 PM
We've written at length about the challenges posed by institutional real estate investment blocking access to first-time homebuyers. Our partners at @landpolicy.bsky.social show that corporations own 8.9% of residential properties nationwide. In Franklin Co., its over 20%.
Who Owns America - Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
The Lincoln Institute and the Center for Geospatial Solutions released a report that explores the current state of corporate ownership of residential property in the US and identifies 25 county hotspo...
www.lincolninst.edu
January 8, 2026 at 4:54 PM
GOPC is excited to announce a new, free service available to Ohio communities: Virtual Office Hours for Pre-Approvals.

Register at www.housingoh.org/office-hours. We hope to see you there!
January 7, 2026 at 6:01 PM
2026 marks 250 years of U.S. independence. Americans will come together in celebration of this anniversary and the Buckeye State will join the festivities in a uniquely "Ohio Style." Today on our blog, some of the events we are looking ahead to.
www.greaterohio.org/blog/2026/1/...
Celebrate 250 Years of Independence in 2026! — Greater Ohio Policy Center
The America 250-Ohio Commission has been planning a series of events throughout 2026 to celebrate the nation’s birthday in true “Ohio Style”.
www.greaterohio.org
January 6, 2026 at 5:28 PM
We are back at it for 2026. GOPC and our many friends and colleagues around Ohio are planning and organizing the conferences and events that help us all promote our work and develop the policies that will help shape a vibrant, revitalized Ohio. www.greaterohio.org/blog/2025/12...
Looking Ahead: Conference Schedule for 2026 — Greater Ohio Policy Center
Here are some of the events that we are tracking in 2026. We hope to see you there!
www.greaterohio.org
January 5, 2026 at 7:00 PM
You can make a difference.

Your contribution allows us to connect people and create partnerships around Ohio.

With your help, we can advance our agenda for revitalization and sustainable development.

www.greaterohio.org/support
Support — Greater Ohio Policy Center
Support Our Agenda Help Us Build a Greater Ohio
www.greaterohio.org
December 18, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Happy Holidays from everyone at the Greater Ohio Policy Center!

We are grateful for colleagues and partners whose commitment to building revitalized communities in Ohio drives us. Thank you for helping GOPC accomplish so much in 2025!
www.greaterohio.org/blog/2025/12...
2025 Year In Review: Building A Greater Ohio — Greater Ohio Policy Center
From all of us at the Greater Ohio Policy Center, Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for A Happy 2026!
www.greaterohio.org
December 17, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Our final Ohio Community Spotlight feature of 2025 is now available on our website. This month features the Bratwurst Capital of America - Bucyrus! www.greaterohio.org/blog/2025/12...
Closing Out 2025 Community Spotlight Series in the "Bratwurst Capital of America:" Bucyrus — Greater Ohio Policy Center
Each month, we feature an Ohio city as part of our Ohio Community Spotlight series.
www.greaterohio.org
December 16, 2025 at 5:25 PM
GOPC is excited to announce a new, free service available to Ohio communities: Virtual Office Hours for Pre-Approvals.

Register at www.housingoh.org/office-hours. We hope to see you there!
December 15, 2025 at 10:13 PM