The Blighted Real Estate Demolition Program (BREDP) is aimed at assisting cities, villages, and townships in safely removing unsafe, abandoned, and blighted structures throughout the county. Vermilion Advantage will manage the program in cooperation with the Vermilion County Trustee Program (VCTP).
This program is designed to promote safer neighborhoods, reduce blight, and encourage responsible redevelopment efforts. By providing financial assistance and technical support, Vermilion County seeks to empower local governments to address hazardous properties, improve community safety, and foster revitalization.
Funding opportunities for eligible demolition projects
Simplified application process for local governments
Guidance on compliance with local and state regulations
Support in removing structures that threaten public safety
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible applicants include Cities, Villages and Townships, qualified non-profits, and private property owners (under certain conditions), that demonstrate legal authority to demolish the target structure at the time of application (“Eligible Applicant”).
Eligible Use
BREDP awards may be used to reimburse the following costs incurred by an Eligible Applicant on property located in Vermilion County:
- Demolition costs
- Environmental remediation
- Site stabilization
- Administrative and legal costs incurred by the units of local government requesting awards from the Blighted Real Estate Demolition Program (BREDP)
Definitions
The definitions for BREDP are as follows:
(A) “Blighted parcel” means either of the following:
(1) A parcel that has one or more of the following conditions:
- (a) A structure that is dilapidated, unsanitary, unsafe, or vermin infested and that because of its condition has been designated by an agency that is responsible for the enforcement of housing, building, or fire codes as unfit for human habitation or use;
- (b) The property poses a direct threat to public health or safety in its present condition by reason of environmentally hazardous conditions, solid waste pollution, or contamination; or
- (c) Tax or special assessment delinquencies exceeding the fair value of the land that remains unpaid.
- (B) “CVT” means Cities, Villages and Townships
- (C) “BREDP” means Blighted Real Estate Demolition Program
(2) A parcel that has two or more of the following conditions that, collectively considered, adversely affect surrounding or community property values or entail land use relationships that cannot be corrected through existing zoning codes or other land use regulations:
- (a) Dilapidation and deterioration;
- (b) Age and obsolescence;
- (c) Inadequate provision for ventilation, light, air, sanitation, or open spaces;
- (d) Unsafe and unsanitary conditions;
- (e) Hazards that endanger lives or properties by fire or other causes;
- (f) Noncompliance with building, housing, or other codes;
- (g) Nonworking or disconnected utilities;
- (h) Is vacant or contains an abandoned structure;
- (i) Excessive dwelling unit density;
- (j) Is located in an area of defective or inadequate street layout;
- (k) Overcrowding of buildings on the land;
- (l) Faulty lot layout in relation to size, adequacy, accessibility, or usefulness;
- (m) Vermin infestation;
- (n) Extensive damage or destruction caused by a major disaster when the damage has not been remediated within a reasonable time;
- (o) Identified hazards to health and safety that are conducive to ill health, transmission of disease, juvenile delinquency, or crime;
- (p) Ownership or multiple ownership of a single parcel when the owner, or a majority of the owners of a parcel in the case of multiple ownership, cannot be located.
Application and Approval Process
Applicants must submit an application and proof of at least two (2) bids from contractors, indicating the contractor selected by the Eligible Applicant
Applications submitted by an Eligible Applicant will be reviewed by VCTP and approved within 21 days.
If an application is approved, VCTP will notify the Eligible Applicant and provide a grant agreement wherein VCTP agrees to reimburse the demolition project under terms and conditions including but not limited to the following:
1. VCTP’s reimbursement grant is capped at fifty percent (50%) of the total documented hard costs of the demolition project.
2. The Applicant must demonstrate that the demolition is complete, and the site stabilized before VCTP will disburse the awarded funds. VCTP will withhold disbursement, and may terminate the grant agreement at any time, if the Applicant breaches the terms of the grant agreement.