Brownfield Redevelopment

BOA Program Details

Brownfield Opportunity Areas Program Description, Steps and Outcomes:

Program Purpose
Program Origin
Eligible Applicants
Funding Preferences
Program Steps and Outcomes
Designation of the BOA

Program Purpose

The Brownfield Opportunity Areas (BOA) Program provides assistance to communities to undertake activities resulting in neighborhood revitalization strategies for areas affected by brownfields or economic distress. The program enables communities to assemble effective strategies to return dormant sites and areas back to productive use and simultaneously restore environmental quality by enabling communities to:

 Address a range of opportunities and problems posed by multiple brownfield sites

 Build consensus on the future uses of strategic brownfield sites

 Establish the multi-agency and private-sector partnerships necessary to leverage assistance and investments to revitalize neighborhoods

The program enables participants to achieve brownfield redevelopment and neighborhood revitilization in a proactive and systematic way. The types of areas this program may be applied to may include but are not limited to: residential, commercial, industrial/manufacturing areas or corridors, waterfronts, or downtowns.

Program Origin

The BOA Program was established by the Superfund/Brownfield Law in October 2003 and later revised by the Brownfield Reform Law of 2008. The Superfund/Brownfield legislation amended the General Municipal Law (Article 18-C), which authorizes municipalities to pursue redevelopment and revitalization of economically distressed areas, by adding Section 970-r, to create the BOA Program.

Eligible Applicants

 New York State municipalities which are defined as: cities; villages; towns; counties; local public authorities or public benefit corporations; school districts; special improvement districts; and Indian nations or tribes.

 Community based organizations which are defined as: not-for-profit corporations that are incorporated under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code whose stated mission is to promote community revitalization (reuse of brownfield sites) within the geographic area in which the community based organization is located; has 25 percent or more of its Board of Directors residing in the community in such area; and represents a community with a demonstrated financial need as indicated by high unemployment, low resident incomes, depressed property values, and high commercial vacancy rates.

 New York City Community Boards.

 Two or more eligible applicants may, and are encouraged to, submit a joint application.

Funding Preferences

The Superfund/Brownfield Law directs the program's funding to areas having one or more of the following characteristics:

 Areas with concentrations of brownfield sites.

 Areas with brownfield sites presenting strategic opportunities to stimulate economic development, community revitalization or to site new public amenities.

 Areas with indicators of economic distress including low resident incomes, high unemployment, high commercial vacancy rates and depressed property values.

 Established partnerships or expressed support between municipalities and community based organizations to pursue an area-wide plan.


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