New Jersey 2027: The Next Wave of Growth & Brownfield Revitalization
September 23, 2026 | 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Join industry leaders, policymakers, and redevelopment experts for a forward-looking half-day symposium exploring what’s next for New Jersey’s brownfield landscape.
Ryotaro Tashiro (Economist from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia) will open the program with an economic outlook examining national, regional, and local economic trends, including factors influencing New Jersey’s development landscape. The discussion will include market conditions affecting industrial and residential sectors, workforce and demographic trends, and broader economic indicators shaping investment and redevelopment activity.
Through three focused panel discussions, we’ll cover:
Economic Forecasting
This panel will give a look ahead to how shifting federal priorities and economic conditions will drive redevelopment in New Jersey, including the outlook for EPA and federal agency funding, HDSRF and state incentive programs, future brownfield and infrastructure investments, evolving state-agency collaboration, and innovative approaches to leveraging public funding.
Panelists:
- Ryotaro Tashiro (Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Economist)
- Elizabeth Limbrick (NJEDA)
- Schenine Mitchell (USEPA)
- Abbie Tang Smith (NJDEP)
Moderator: Dawn Bembry Breeden (Bembry Consulting Group, LLC)
Next Generation of Brownfields Redevelopment in NJ: Where are the Opportunities?
This interactive conversation will focus on how the New Jersey State Plan, Governor Sherrill’s EOs (#4,5), NJDEP other State policies that will shape the development community’s direction into the next decade with respect to Brownfields redevelopment.
Panelists:
- Walter Lane (New Jersey Office of Planning Advocacy)
- Dan Kennedy (CREDA NJ)
- Emily Lamond, Esq. (Cole Schotz P.C.)
Moderator: Alan Miller (Onterris)
Powering Redevelopment: Brownfields and New Jersey’s Energy Future
This forward-looking panel will explore the rapidly changing energy landscape in New Jersey and the challenges and opportunities shaping redevelopment, infrastructure, and economic growth. Panelists will discuss identifying Brownfield sites that are suitable for redevelopment as an energy facility, in light of the following considerations:
- Siting facilities: tax incentives and local appetite for energy facilities
- Technical considerations: grid capacity constraints, grid augmentation by battery storage facilities, demand management, solar integration, and the growing divide between “power rich” and “power poor” regions across the state.
- The conversation will likely include the feasibility of different renewable energy technologies, the expanding role of battery energy storage systems, emerging energy legislation, microgrids, distributed generation, and the significant electricity demand driven by AI, data centers, electrification, and new development.
- Energy policy and regulatory outlook: Examining how New Jersey's evolving energy policies, permitting reforms, and regulatory initiatives are expected to influence brownfield redevelopment, infrastructure investment, and economic growth.
Panelists:
- Former Senator Bob Gordon (Stevens & Lee Public Affairs)
- Jason Schuler (Boswell Inc.)
- Colleen Kokas (CEP Renewables)
- Andrew Levine, Esq. (Stradley Ronon)
Moderator: Geoff Clark (Boswell Inc.)
The sessions will be followed by a networking cocktail reception that includes one (1) drink ticket and light appetizers.
Continuing Education Credits: We have applied for 2.0 Professional Development and 1.0 Regulatory NJ LSRP credits.
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