13 Brownfield Development Areas Approved

On Feb 19, 2025

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) nationally BDA program spurs revitalization and economic development by helping communities implement environmental investigation, remediation and redevelopment activities for areas that encompass multiple individual brownfield sites.

“This next step in the relaunching of the BDA program reinforces DEP’s commitment to the redevelopment of brownfield sites that place tremendous economic, environmental and public health burdens on municipalities,” DEP Commissioner LaTourette said. “The Murphy administration looks forward to working with all of our community and redevelopment partners to restore these new Brownfield Development Areas to their full and productive use.”

The Brownfield Development Area designation qualifies local municipalities and redevelopment authorities to receive up to $5 million annually in state Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund (HDSRF) grants, including remedial action matching grants that provide up to 75 percent for remedial action costs for any site reuses within the BDA.

In addition, DEP provides a single point of contact in the Office of Brownfield and Community Revitalization to work closely with municipal officials, stakeholders, developers and Licensed Site Remediation Professionals (LSRPs) to coordinate investigation, remediation and redevelopment plans.

The DEP has approved 13 new BDA applications for the following 10 communities:

• Atlantic City: Bader Field BDA, Riverside BDA, Carson Point BDA
• Bayonne: Constable Hook BDA
• Burlington City: U.S. Pipe Foundry BDA
• Camden: Federal Street BDA
• Carney’s Point Township: Revitalization BDA
• Egg Harbor City: Agassiz Street Properties BDA, Antwerp Avenue Properties BDA
• Hainesport: Hainesport Gateway BDA
• Passaic: Pulaski Park Extension BDA
• Paulsboro: Riverview Avenue BDA
• West Orange: Lakeside Avenue BDA

DEP’s voluntary BDA program partners with a municipality or redevelopment authority and its stakeholders to focus technical and financial resources on brownfield sites, with a vision for redevelopment and community revitalization.

The 13 new BDAs are the first to be added to the program since 2009. Commissioner LaTourette announced the re-launch of the Brownfield Development Area program in October 2023 at the former National Lead site, which is part of the Sayreville Waterfront BDA. The Sayreville Waterfront BDA has received a $120 million investment in remediation work, including $20 million in Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Funds (HDSRF) that helped leverage $100 million in private sector funding and $400 million in NJ Economic Development Agency ASPIRE tax incentives.

Applications for the new BDA designations were scored by the DEP’s Office of Brownfield and Community Revitalization for completeness, description of local redevelopment plans, support for redevelopment plans, level of community involvement, and anticipated benefits to the community, public health and the environment. The approved applications include two or more brownfield sites in a contiguous area.

The next step for the approved applications is the execution of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the DEP, each municipality, and BDA Steering Committee. The MOU defines the brownfield sites and the partners working toward remediation and redevelopment. Once the MOUs is signed, the DEP will officially designate the respective BDAs.

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