The Commerce and Industry Association of NJ (CIANJ) has given its Environmental Leadership Award to the NJ Brownfields Assistance Center @ NJIT for its dedication to “Cleaning up Communities and Environmental Education”. CIANJ’s flagship publication “Commerce Magazine” featured the award winners. Click HERE to read the article (page 28).
The NJ Brownfields Assistance Center @ NJIT is the first-of-its-kind center solely focused on advancing NJ’s brownfield properties to cleanup and redevelopment. Many local governments and nonprofits do not have the in-house knowledge or expertise to advance these sites through the assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment processes.
Many communities have either no, or limited resources, including funding. The NJ Brownfields Assistance Center @ NJIT was created to help communities overcome their brownfield hurdles, advancing these properties towards the redevelopment finish line. We are a multi-disciplinary team of planners, engineers, environmental scientists, and social scientists that brings tools, strategies, resources, partnerships, subject matter experts, and education to brownfields-challenged communities to help transform these sites into community assets.
The Center educates and engages communities about brownfield issues, and it provides free “help desk” assistance and guidance to any NJ county and municipal government and nonprofit. The Center partners with state agencies and the private sector to help advance the practice, build community capacity, and guide communities as they navigate the redevelopment process. Help support the NJ Brownfields Assistance Center @ NJIT by becoming an Affiliate Member!
Platinum Affiliate Member
- $5,000/year
- One seat on the Center’s Advisory Committee helping to guide the Center’s programs and outreach
- Company’s logo on the Center’s website and in the Center’s quarterly newsletter
- Company’s NJ Brownfield redevelopment projects featured in the “IN THE brownFIELD Successes” section of our website, in our newsletters, and in our social media posts
- Opportunity to contribute to our “Brownfield Reels” video series by creating an up to 4-minute video of your company expert speaking on a brownfield related topic (maximum 2 videos per year) which will be featured on our website, in our newsletters, and in our social media posts
Gold Affiliate Member
- $3,000/year
- Company’s logo on Center’s website and in the Center’s quarterly newsletter
- Company’s NJ Brownfield redevelopment projects featured in the “IN THE brownFIELD Successes” section of our website, in our newsletters, and in our social media posts
- Opportunity to contribute to our “Brownfield Reels” video series by creating one up to 4-minute video of your company expert speaking on a brownfield related topic which will be featured on our website, in our newsletters, and in our social media posts
Silver Affiliate Member
- $1,500/year
- Company’s logo on Center’s website
- Company’s logo in Center’s quarterly newsletter
- Company’s NJ Brownfield redevelopment projects featured in “IN THE brownFIELD Successes” section of our website, in our newsletters, and in our social media posts
Bronze Affiliate Member
- $500/year
- Company’s logo on Center’s website
- Company’s logo in Center’s quarterly newsletter
If you are interested in supporting the NJ Brownfields Assistance Center:
Question? Contact:
Colette Santasieri, PhD
Executive Director, NJ Brownfields Assistance Center @ NJIT
santasieri@njit.edu
973-642-4165
To Join by Credit Card click here:
https://njit-connect.njit.edu/events/nj-brownfields-assistance-center
To Join by Check:
Make checks payable to: Foundation @ NJIT (please indicate in the notes section of the check “BF Assistance Center”)
Mail checks to:
Foundation @ NJIT
Eberhardt Hall
323 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard
University Heights
Newark, NJ 07102-1982
Provide us with: Your company’s Point of Contact and contact information to santasieri@njit.edu so we may contact you after you join.
The NJ Brownfields Assistance Center @ NJIT has partnered with the Brownfields Coalition of the Northeast (BCONE) to provide NJ communities with additional Pro Bono expert services.
While the NJ Brownfields Assistance Center @ NJIT has technical experts that answer questions and provide guidance, some NJ communities would benefit from the expertise of BCONE's industry expert members, including attorneys and consultants.
The NJ Brownfields Center @ NJIT serves as a conduit for pairing NJ communities with BCONE's experts. When you ask a question, we will match you with a BCONE expert in the appropriate industry related to Brownfield redevelopment. We then arrange a private conversation between you and the appropriate expert.
For more information, contact:
Colette Santasieri, PhD
Executive Director
santasieri@njit.edu
973-642-4165
Congratulations to the following New Jersey communities on their success!
| Applicant Name | Grant Type | Site Name | Funding Amount |
| Camden, NJ | Cleanup | Former Borden Chemical Site | $500,000 |
| Cooper's Ferry Partnership Inc., Camden, NJ | Assessment | Community-wide | $299,451 |
| Jersey City, NJ | Cleanup | Mill Creek | $500,000 |
| New Jersey Economic Development Authority | Revolving Loan Fund | Community-wide | $800,000 |
Identifying and securing funding is arguably the single biggest challenge for most brownfield projects. There is no one source of funding that will take a project from the planning stage, through assessment and cleanup, and finally to redevelopment. Brownfield project resources are typically cobbled together from many sources such as EPA, HUD, USDOT, state brownfield programs, municipalities, as well as private entities. These resources have been bolstered by Qualified Opportunity Zones (QOZ) which were created by the federal 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and designed to spur economic development and job creation by drawing private investment to distressed communities that might otherwise have difficulty attracting investments. There are over 8,760 opportunity zones across the nation. These zones consist of low-income census tracts which have been nominated by each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories, and comprise economically distressed areas where new investments may be eligible for preferential tax treatment as well as the resulting investments, according to the U.S. Treasury. In simple terms, investors can defer tax on eligible capital gains invested in a Qualified Opportunity Fund (QOF) until the earlier of the date on which the investment in a QOF is sold or exchanged or until December 31, 2026.
Opportunity Zones can be a valuable resource for the cleanup and redevelopment of brownfield sites and can assist communities in achieving sustainable and equitable redevelopment goals. However, many communities are not familiar with OZs and their benefits, and need assistance in making the connection between their brownfield redevelopment goals and available QOFs. Many resources exist to assist New Jersey communities in this endeavor, and the following represent a number that will provide a solid foundation to those interested in pursuing brownfields cleanup and redevelopment:
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