Goal: Clean up all contaminated land in New York City

New York City’s need for land is growing – for new housing, places to work and shop, community facilities, and green spaces. Brownfields – vacant or underutilized properties with environmental issues – represent important opportunities to meet these needs. However, cleanup and redevelopment of these sites can be complicated by uncertainty of legal obligations and difficulty in financing. We have built a strong foundation of brownfield programs to safely clean up these sites that provide incentives and legal protections and other incentives to landowners. We also work with community organizations to encourage neighborhood planning, especially in economically distressed communities. We’ve made great progress, but we know we can do more.

Our plan will make City brownfields even more attractive. We will further decrease environmental risk to lenders and owners with new insurance products and stronger legal protections, and increase the incentives available to brownfield projects. A pro bono environmental expert referral program will help brownfield stakeholders move their projects forward. SPEED, our innovative online real estate search engine will be improved to offer even more help to those seeking properties for development. 

Community protection, education, and brownfield planning – from individual sites to area-wide planning initiatives – will be strengthened and expanded. And our commitment to redevelopment and revitalization within a framework of green and sustainable practices will continue to strengthen the next generation of brownfield cleanups.