Gibbons P.C. shared with BCONE  its recent blog regarding the New York State Bar Association’s (NYSBA) endorsement of a proposed bill amending and extending the New York State Brownfield Cleanup Act.

BCONE is collaborating with the New York City Brownfield Partnership (NYCBP), the NYSBA,  and other interested organizations on this important topic. 

Please go here to read the Gibbons P.C. article in its entirety, including important links to the proposed bill and explanatory reports and detailed analysis.

A quick summary of the bill:

• Extends, from December 31, 2022 to December 31, 2032, the deadline for sites to be accepted into the Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP) and qualify for tax credits. Additional time would also be provided for sites to obtain their Certificates of Completion (COCs), claim site preparation tax credits, and obtain tangible property credits after issuance of COCs.
• Expands the ability for sites in Potential Environmental Justice Areas and Brownfield Opportunity Areas to qualify for enhanced tax credits.
• Increases the incentives for renewable energy projects on BCP sites.
• Expands the effectiveness of the BCP in addressing soil vapor issues, including clarification of the types of soil vapor-related expenditures that qualify for tax credits.

Posted November 18, 2021

by BRS, Inc.

Built on the site of the former Harrison Avenue Landfill, the Cramer Hill Waterfront Park has everything!

• Amphitheater
  
• Fishing plaza
  
• Hiking/biking paths and trails
  
• Historic/educational signage
  
• Kayak launch
  
• Picnic area
  
• Playground
  
• Sensory garden
  
• Shoreline observation areas
  
• Summit vista with panoramic views of the Delaware River,
  
• Petty's Island, the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, and Philadelphia

In addition to the landfill closure and park construction, the project involved the restoration and creation of approximately seven acres of freshwater tidal wetlands; over 3,000 feet of bioengineered vegetative shoreline, including 450 feet of living shoreline in three areas along the back channel of the Delaware River; habitats for wildlife including endangered species; over 375,000 plantings; and a two-acre tidally fed fishing pond (which we heard has already yielded an impressive catch at the community opening event!). 

The opening of the park represents the completion of the cleanup and redevelopment of the former Harrison Avenue Landfill, a long-time municipal dump which closed in the early 1970s. It is the culmination of a decades-long effort to assess, remediate, plan, and construct a crown jewel of open space amenities and habitat restoration on what was once an open dumping area and longtime neighborhood eyesore. The Cramer Hill Waterfront Park joins the Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center, sited on the eastern end of the former landfill.  The Kroc Center, opened in 2014, provides over 8,000 residents with educational, recreational, social service, fitness, art, worship, and early childhood care center amenities.

The effort included resources and technical assistance provided by the Camden Redevelopment Agency, the US Environmental Protection Agency, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, with the heavy lift for cleanup and redevelopment conducted by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Natural Resource Restoration. Camden County will oversee maintenance and operations of the park while the Camden Community Partnership will offer a range of community programming.

For a virtual field trip video of the site, check out these videos from NJDEP and Upstream Alliance.

Images courtesy of NJDEP.

Posted November 15, 2021

By Joshua Burd in Real Estate NJ

A joint venture has broken ground in Paterson on a $26 million project that will bring affordable housing and space for a local nonprofit to the site of a historic mill building.

Located at Mill and Ellison streets, the development will include a new ground-up, four-story building with 68 apartments over structured parking, according to a news release. Plans also call for the restoration of the 19th-century Argus Mill property, which will house another six units, as well as programming and office space for the Grandparents Relatives Care Resource Center, or GRCRC, an agency that will provide supportive services to residents.

Read more...

Posted November 5, 2021

By Joshua Burd in Real Estate NJ

The state has approved its first two awards under the new Emerge program, prompting one observer to note that the Economic Development Authority is “open for business” more than two years after the lapse of the jobs-based Grow New Jersey tax incentive.

That may be true, but industry experts caution that New Jersey may not see a flurry of new applications under Emerge and, in turn, a spike in large office deals in the immediate months ahead. State officials agree, as they manage a program that was designed to be more discerning than its predecessor and address concerns about ballooning subsidies of the past.

Read more...

Posted November 5, 2021

On Friday September 17, 2021 Delaware Governor John Carney signed three unique bills all seeking to tackle different environmental issues, Senate Bills 2, 21, and Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 24.

Read more...

Posted November 1, 2021

By Rick Miller,  Olean Times Herald (NY)

Mike John Painting Contractor Inc., is about to start one of the biggest brownfield cleanups in the city of Olean to make way for a new paint shop and administrative offices.

Company president Mike John Sr. plans to spend $9.6 million on the brownfield cleanup and construction of a 15,000-square-foot building.

The company, which has its headquarters, warehouse and paint shop at 291 Homer St., received a promise of tax breaks worth about $730,750 over 14 years from the Cattaraugus County Industrial Development Agency.

Under the agreement with the IDA, MJ Painting pledged to retain its 47 employees and create five new employee positions.

…

For the entire article, see

https://www.oleantimesherald.com/news/mj-painting-plans-to-start-franklin-street-brownfield-cleanup-next-month/article_a2e1620f-671d-5e37-a685-0dec9628288e.html

Posted October 13, 2021

By Rick Miller, Olean Times Herald (NY)

Mike John Painting Contractor Inc., is about to start one of the biggest brownfield cleanups in the city of Olean to make way for a new paint shop and administrative offices.

Company president Mike John Sr. plans to spend $9.6 million on the brownfield cleanup and construction of a 15,000-square-foot building.

The company, which has its headquarters, warehouse and paint shop at 291 Homer St., received a promise of tax breaks worth about $730,750 over 14 years from the Cattaraugus County Industrial Development Agency.

Under the agreement with the IDA, MJ Painting pledged to retain its 47 employees and create five new employee positions.

…

For the entire article, see

https://www.oleantimesherald.com/news/mj-painting-plans-to-start-franklin-street-brownfield-cleanup-next-month/article_a2e1620f-671d-5e37-a685-0dec9628288e.html

Posted October 11, 2021

The FY22 Brownfields Assessment, RLF and Cleanup Grant Guidelines are now available in www.grants.gov and on the OBLR MARC Grant Application Resources webpage along with other General Program Resources. The application submission deadline is December 1, 2021.

Prospective applicants can also access the information through the Brownfields Newsroom and Solicitations for Brownfield Grants pages.

Headquarters is planning for two National Applicant Outreach Webinars this year and will send/post the links to join the webinars when the information is available.

Wednesday, October 13, 2021 @ 1 PM ET - This webinar will discuss the FY 2022 guidelines for entities applying for:

• Community-wide Assessment Grant funding
  
• Site-specific Assessment Grant funding
  
• Cleanup Grant funding
  
• RLF Grant funding
  

Thursday, October 14, 2021 @ 2 PM ET - This webinar will discuss the FY 2022 guidelines for entities applying for:

• Community-wide Assessment Grants for States and Tribes
  

Link to Guidelines

Posted October 6, 2021

By Al Urbanski, Chain Store Age 

Two Baltimore guys named David Bramble and Peter Pinkard recently accomplished something few in town thought could be done. This month they opened Yard 56 and brought a supermarket, a gym, and several restaurants to a location that was a contaminated brownfield site since the Porcelain Enamel Manufacturing Company closed its factory there in 2006.

Bramble is the son of Joy Bramble, publisher of The Baltimore Times, and the Rev. Peter Bramble, rector of St. Katherine of Alexandria Episcopal Church, and he still lives in the house he grew up in in the Madison Park neighborhood. He worked as a real estate attorney in town before he and Pinkard formed MCB Real Estate and became developers. They now own and operate 10 million sq. ft. of properties up and down the Interstate 95 corridor, though the 20 acres of it on Eastern Avenue in Baltimore is their crowning achievement.

…

For the entire article, see

https://chainstoreage.com/retail-rekindled-former-brownfield-site-baltimore

Posted October 6, 2021

Penobscot Bay Pilot (ME)

The idea of creating a parking lot off of a narrow residential street in Rockland has no immediate future after City Council scrapped the notion during a special Sept. 27 meeting. Giving that Brownfield site a future, however, is of immediate focus for those councilors and for the City. 

The property in question was once a junkyard, and after the derelict house was demolished, someone in Public Works suggested that the site could be paved and used for parking, according to City Manager Tom Luttrell.

Through the years, as various ideas for parking options for the area were considered, the Maine Department of Transportation began to devise a grant for the 9 - 15 Rockland Street location that would include design and construction.

…

For the entire article, see

https://www.penbaypilot.com/article/rockland-council-nixes-park-and-ride-idea-turns-brownfield-remediation/152379

Posted October 6, 2021