Brownfield Development Areas

A brownfield is defined under New Jersey state law as “any former or current commercial or industrial site that is currently vacant or underutilized and on which there has been, or there is suspected to have been, a discharge of a contaminant.” In simpler terms, a brownfield is land that was used for a business or factory but is now empty or not being used much, and there may be some contamination spilled or left at the site.

A Brownfield Development Area (BDA) is a New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) designation for a geographical area in which there are multiple brownfield sites in close proximity to each other. BDAs facilitate addressing brownfield sites in an areawide, coordinated approach.

The NJDEP’s BDA Program works in partnership with municipalities and neighborhoods impacted by multiple brownfield sites. A municipality receives BDA designation for a geographical area through a selective application process, and the BDA Program assists in coordinating planning, resource acquisition, and remediation. The main objective of the program is reuse of brownfield sites – often after contamination is cleaned up.  

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