CLEVELAND — City and state leaders launched the demolition and remediation of the former National ACME Plant on Cleveland’s east side Thursday, with the goal of turning the blighted property into a shovel-ready site that will attract investors, development and new jobs for residents.

What You Need To Know

  • City and state leaders launched the demolition and remediation of the former National ACME Plant on Cleveland’s east side Thursday

  • The goal is to turn the blighted property into a shovel-ready site that will attract investors, development and new jobs for residents

  • The Site Readiness for Good Jobs Fund (SRF), a non-profit launched by the Bibb administration and Cleveland City Council in 2023, also announced the acquisition of a neighboring 22-acre, shovel-ready parcel

  • This project was made possible through a $7.6 million grant from the state and another $3.5 million from the city of Cleveland

“Today is not just about a brand new site for good jobs,” Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb said. “It’s a symbol of hope, a symbol of opportunity and a symbol of progress.”

The former National ACME Plant, which once employed thousands of Clevelanders, has been an eyesore and environmental hazard in the Glenville and Collinwood neighborhoods for decades.

The Site Readiness for Good Jobs Fund (SRF), a non-profit launched by the Bibb administration and Cleveland City Council in 2023, also announced the acquisition of a neighboring 22-acre, shovel-ready parcel. Over the next six months, the National ACME site will be demolished and cleaned up, and once complete, the combined plot will be one of the largest industrial redevelopment opportunities in Cleveland.

Bibb said creating new opportunities for development in the state is a win for all Ohioans.

“We were talking about the importance of this not being a Democrat or Republican win for Cleveland or Ohio,” Bibb said. “This is about a win for cities like Cleveland across the state.”

There are thousands of abandoned industrial and commercial sites across Ohio, known as brownfields, that require significant remediation before they can be redeveloped. Over the past few years, state lawmakers have dedicated hundreds of millions of dollars toward efforts to put those polluted sites to productive use.

This project was made possible through a $7.6 million grant from the state and another $3.5 million from the city of Cleveland.

Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, R-Ohio, was a speaker at the demolition launch. He said it’s important to invest in projects like these to give hope to the next generation of workers in Ohio.

“This is a long time coming, but we've got to make sure that this is a home run,” Tressel said. “And that this becomes a bustling site that brings that hope, that drives that workforce, that demonstrates that work ethic and shows them what Cleveland has always been about.”

After fighting for this redevelopment for a decade, Cleveland City Council Member Mike Polensek said he’s happy to be celebrating a victory.

“This was the largest employment base for the Glenville neighborhood in the day,” he said. “Think about that. Thousands of people. And again, having an uncle that worked here, I know what happened. I was saw it firsthand. I've seen the good, the bad and the ugly in my time, and now I see the potential. I see the opportunity.”

According to the Ohio Department of Development, the state’s brownfield remediation program has so far supported 626 projects across 86 Ohio counties.