Welcome to the Ohio Balanced Growth Program

Balanced Growth: a voluntary, incentive-based strategy to protect and restore Lake Erie, the Ohio River, and Ohio's watersheds to assure long-term economic competitiveness, ecological health, and quality of life.

In April of 2004 the Ohio Lake Erie Commission (OLEC) adopted the Balanced Growth Blue Ribbon Task Force recommendations for a voluntary, incentive-based program to acheive balanced growth in Ohio's Lake Erie watershed.  A series of four pilot planning partnerships were funded in 2006 and a best local land use practices training program was launched later that same year.  The success of this initiative prompted the Ohio Water Resources Council (OWRC) to move forward with statewide implementation of the program starting in the summer of 2009.  This website provides a single home for balanced growth materials for all of Ohio. 

On August 19, 2009 a joint Request for Proposals was released by the OLEC and the OWRC to fund a second round of planning partnerships across Ohio.  Please click on the Request for Proposals 2009 link at right for details on this opportunity.  A total of $800,000 is available for planning projects in Ohio.