NEW YORK CITY—Governor Andrew Cuomo has named 12 brownfield opportunity areas in economically-challenged communities across New York State. The dirty dozen include Jamaica, Queens; a spot in the Bronx, a Long Island neighborhood and nine upstate communities.

In addition, the 2015-16 state budget extends the Brownfields Cleanup Program for ten years and includes important reforms to protect taxpayers and promote brownfield redevelopment. The budget also includes a new $100 million appropriation and extends the State superfund cleanup program for ten years.

The Brownfield Opportunity Areas Program helps local communities establish revitalization strategies that return dormant and blighted areas into productive areas to spur economic development. This designation is based upon plans of varying focus that reflect local conditions, and projects receiving this designation are given priority status for grants and additional Brownfield Cleanup Program tax credit incentives.

“By designating these sites as brownfield opportunity areas, we are helping to reimagine their potential as vibrant parts of the surrounding communities,” says Gov. Cuomo. “This distinction allows us to put their rehabilitation on the fast-track with additional state resources, and that means new development, jobs and opportunities in the future.

Developers, property owners and others with projects and properties located within a designated BOA will be eligible to access additional Brownfield Cleanup Program tax incentives and receive priority and preference for State grants to develop projects aimed at transforming dormant and blighted areas in their communities and putting them back into productive use.??

For Jamaica, the primary objectives include fostering mixed-use and sustainable transit-oriented development near the AirTrain, which provides a rail connection for downtown Jamaica and JFK airport.

Says Greater Jamaica Development Corp. president Carlisle Towery, “The stimulus that the State BOA program is providing to development projects in the LIRR AirTrain Station Area business district is having an economic ripple affect across Downtown Jamaica.”

On the Port Morris Harlem Riverfront in the Bronx, community revitalization objectives include redeveloping underutilized, former industrial properties for commercial and residential use; removing environmentally hazardous substances; and increasing waterfront access opportunities to the Harlem River.

And on Long Island, the goals for Downtown Wyandanch include returning dormant and underutilized properties to productive use for a mix of commercial, retail and cultural uses in a transit-oriented development; creating jobs; providing affordable housing; and restoring environmental quality.

Says town of Babylon supervisor Rich Schaffer, “The BOA Program has been the backbone of the Wyandanch revitalization effort, and has led to nearly $100 million in vertical construction activities over the past two years. This designation will certainly open new doors to investment in this blossoming community.”

South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corp. president & CEO Philip Morrow asserts, “This designation will activate over 200 acres of vacant and underutilized land, provide 1.4 miles of shoreline development and give the community increased access to resources to further implement development and environmental remediation plans. Mayor's commitment,

The remaining newly named BOAs throughout the state are Chadakoin River Central/Eastern BOA,Jamestown; Chautauqua County; North Tonawanda; Batavia, Genesee County; Vacuum Oil-South Genesee River, Rochester;

Macedon Waterfront and Downtown, Wayne County; Downtown Rome, Oneida County; Lyons Falls, Lewis County and Fort Edward Northeast Industrial BOA, town and village of Fort Edward.

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Rayna Katz

Rayna Katz is a seasoned business journalist whose extensive experience includes coverage of the lodging sector, travel and the culinary space. She was most recently content director for a business-to-business publisher, overseeing four publications. While at Meeting News, a travel trade publication, she received a Best Reporting award for a story on meeting cancellations in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.

Development
New York