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Brownfield cleanup and redevelopment projects can play a critical role in revitalization efforts because most sites are found within cities and towns. Focusing economic development on brownfields and other downtown sites is important for growth management because it lessens development pressure on farmland and other open spaces. The most successful brownfields programs receive clear and public support from the governor, provide incentives and eliminate barriers to redevelopment, and involve economic development and planning agencies and other partners in addition to environmental regulatory agencies.
Growth and Quality-of-Life Tools and Strategies
Connect Smart Growth with Brownfields Cleanup - New Jersey's Approach
The New Jersey Office of State Planning's brownfields program began in July 1997. On January 6, 1998, Governor Christine T. Whitman signed into law the Brownfields and Contaminated Site Remediation Act, which established a Brownfields Redevelopment Task Force. The 11-member task force includes representatives from five state agencies and six public members. In June 2000, the task force adopted an action plan to guide its future activities. In addition, the 2001 budget included a new $15-million Brownfields Redevelopment grant program to provide municipalities with funds for redevelopment projects. The state plan impact assessment found that the brownfields approach would reduce sprawl, saving 68,000 acres of farmland and 122,000 acres overall.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Quality, 609/292-1250
Eliminate Barriers and Offer Incentives - Michigan's Approach to Brownfields
Prior to 1995, a strict liability law and stringent remediation standards constrained Michigan's brownfields redevelopment efforts. Legislators amended the law, adding fairness to the liability scheme by holding only those parties that caused the contamination responsible for the cleanup. New cleanup standards based on reasonable risk assumptions give developers and public officials more flexibility. In 1998 Governor John Engler's Clean Michigan Initiative, a $675-million environmental bond, expanded redevelopment programs. Of this amount, more than $300 million is dedicated to environmental cleanup and urban renewal. In June 2000, the legislature approved several other proposals, making it easier to prepare brownfields for redevelopment and providing tax incentives and low-interest loans. A new law increases the maximum single business tax credit for developers from $1 million to $30 million.
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, 800/662-9278
Promote Reuse of Land -Pennsylvania's Green Opportunities for Brownfields Initiative
On January 9, 1999, Governor Tom Ridge signed an executive order to foster sound land-use practices in Pennsylvania. The order promotes reuse of land, planned growth at all levels of government, regional cooperation among local governments, greenways to improve quality of life, and preservation of farmland and open space. The Natural Lands Trust and the departments of environmental protection, conservation and natural resources, and community and economic development are collaborating on the governor's Green Opportunities for Brownfields Initiative. It seeks to encourage mixed-use development with housing choices; recognize the importance of open space, recreational areas, and greenways in urbanized areas; and apply energy-efficient, low-emission designs.
Pennsylvania's Land Recycling Program, 717/783-7816
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