Springdale City Council votes Wednesday night on whether to back a state grant application that could help pay for demolishing the former Tri-County Mall.

Resolution R10-2026, on the council's Sept. 2 agenda, would support an application for fiscal year 2027 Ohio Brownfield Remediation Program funding. The money would go toward remediation and demolition of the 76-acre mall site at 11700 Princeton Pike.

The state program, administered by the Ohio Department of Development, has roughly $120 million available statewide this cycle. No local match is required. The application deadline is Sept. 11.

This is not Springdale's first run at the program. Council passed a similar resolution in June 2022, voting 6-0 to support an earlier brownfield application for the same site. At that meeting, city official Andy Kuchta told council the program could provide up to $10 million for demolition and remediation, including for buildings containing asbestos. He said there would be no financial commitment from the city.

A 2024 demolition estimate placed the base cost for asbestos abatement and mass demolition of the mall and anchor stores at $8.76 million, according to a planning commission packet.

Demolition has already cleared the planning stage. The Springdale Planning Commission approved a major modification to the Tri-County Mall planned unit development in October 2024 by a 6-0 vote, allowing demolition of most of the mall. Council finalized that approval with Ordinance 58-2024 on Nov. 20, 2024, after a public hearing. What remains is money.

At the Aug. 20, 2025, council meeting, Mayor Hawkins said lot-splitting on the property had nothing to do with the demolition timeline. "The splitting of the lots does not prevent anybody from demolishing," Hawkins said then. "They can demolish tomorrow. It's a fiscal issue, I think."

Council also takes up Ordinance 36-2026 on second reading Wednesday. The ordinance would extend the term of a tax increment financing, or TIF, exemption originally set by Ordinance 35-2018 and approve additional compensation for the local school district during the extended period. The ordinance cleared first reading Aug. 19 with no opposition. Council President Anderson asked Law Director Braun about outdated job titles in the text; Braun confirmed the language was acceptable because it quoted the original document.

Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus is also scheduled to present to council, though the topic was not listed. Redistricting of council districts appears under new business with no staff report or background materials in the public agenda packet.

Wednesday's meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Springdale Municipal Building, 11700 Springfield Pike.