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Eligible Parties

Parties who are eligible to become BIG Program Grantees include owners or developers of a Qualifying Brownfield Property, or a recipient of, or an applicant for, a Brownfield Opportunity Areas (BOA) grant.  Preferred Community Development Projects are a subset of Qualifying Brownfield Properties and are eligible for higher grant award limits.  Eligible parties may receive grants for a maximum of two Qualifying Brownfield Properties each fiscal year provided that at least one of the properties becomes enrolled in a brownfield cleanup program.

Parties that are ineligible for BIG Program awards include:

• Persons who are subject to a court proceeding or administrative order involving contamination at a brownfield;
• An applicant who received a prior grant and did not submit information on the outcome of the brownfield project as required by the BIG program; or
• An applicant who received a prior Pre-Enrollment grant for a property that was subsequently developed but not enrolled in a New York City or New York State cleanup program.

Qualifying Brownfield Properties

For a site to be eligible for NYC Brownfield Incentive Grant (BIG) Program awards, it must be a Qualifying Brownfield Property.

• Definition: A Qualifying Brownfield Property is a site located within New York City with the presence or likely presence of a hazardous substance.  Sites enrolled in New York State Brownfield Cleanup Programs are not Qualifying Brownfield Properties.

For cleanup or environmental insurance grants, a site must be a Qualifying Brownfield Property that is enrolled in the NYC Brownfield Cleanup Program (NYC BCP).

Preferred Community Development Projects

The BIG Program gives significantly greater award amounts to Preferred Community Development Projects, which are a subset of Qualifying Brownfield Properties.  For information on the higher award limits, see the BIG Award Limits Table.

• Definition: A Preferred Community Development Project is a project on a Qualifying Brownfield Property that provides specific benefits or amenities to local communities. 

Preferred Community Development Projects include:

• Affordable housing developments;
• Brownfield redevelopment projects within Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) boundaries that are consistent with BOA plans; and
• Community facility development projects that will provide amenities to local communities such as open space or community health care facilities.

Not-for-Profit Developer

The BIG Program offers a bonus grant called the Technical Assistance Grant which is only available to Not-for-Profit Developers.

• Definition: A Not-for-Profit Developer is a not-for-profit corporation that is developing a Preferred Community Development Project.

Visit the Technical Assistance Grant portion of the Grant Award Limits and Amounts page to learn more about this specific grant.

Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) Strategic Properties

The NYC BIG Program offers a BOA Strategic Property Bonus Cleanup Grant.

• Definition: A BOA Strategic Property is a site recognized by NYS Department of State (DOS) as a strategic brownfield site.

Visit the BOA Strategic Property Bonus Cleanup Grant portion of the Grants Award Limits and Amounts page to learn more about this specific grant.

Hazardous Materials E-Designation or Restrictive Declaration Property

The BIG Program offers remediation grants to developers of properties in NYC with a Hazardous Materials E-Designation or Restrictive Declaration (E/RD).

• Definition: A Hazardous Materials E/RD Property is a site that has a NYC zoning map E-Designation for Hazardous Materials, as established by the Department of City Planning or the City Council during a rezoning action, or a site that has a Hazardous Materials Restrictive Declaration as an institutional control that resulted from a zoning variance.

To learn more about this environmental review program,visit the E-Designation and Restrictive Declaration section of the OER site.