Brownfields – Contaminated Site Remediation & Redevelopment Program

Office of Brownfield and Community Revitalization

Program Overview

Background

The Office of Brownfield Reuse (OBCR) was created to serve as the focal point for the Department’s brownfield program. OBCR is charged with coordinating remediation and reuse efforts at specific brownfield sites and piloting innovative approaches to expedite the revitalization process. The first major OBCR effort was the Brownfield Development Area (BDA) Program. This program works in partnership with municipalities and neighborhoods impacted by multiple brownfield sites. The BDA Program coordinates planning, resource acquisition and remediation with a focus on reuse. Individual BDAs are designated through a highly selective application process.

OBCR administers several additional programs that support brownfield redevelopment. The Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund Program is a loan and grant program to investigate and remediate contaminated sites. The Brownfield Reimbursement Fund Program reimburses developers up to 75% of remediation costs based on certain new taxes that are generated from a brownfield project. OBCR also administers the Landfill Redevelopment Program which focuses on the proper remediation and closure of landfills to support redevelopment. OBCR provides federal tax incentive certifications that are required for expensing brownfield remediation costs. OBCR provides supports to all NJ communities that have received EPA Brownfield grants.

What is a Brownfield?

A brownfield is defined under NJ state law (N.J.S.A. 58:10B-23.d) 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.” It is a local, state and national priority to put these sites back into productive reuse. Facilitating successful real estate investment projects on brownfield sites is critical to improving the environment and economy of New Jersey.

Cramer Hill Waterfront Park Brownfield Development Area (BDA)

The 85-acre former Harrison Avenue Landfill, located in Camden’s Cramer Hill neighborhood, operated as a municipal landfill for nearly two decades before it was abandoned in the early 1970s. For several years in the early 2000s, the Camden Redevelopment Agency was awarded state and federal funding for remediation and landfill closure costs, including nearly $26 million from the NJDEP’s Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund (HDSRF). 62 acres of the site were remediated and now hosts a community waterfront park. The Cramer Hill Waterfront Park opened in 2021 and provides many environmental health benefits, restores water access, provides recreational opportunities, and creates opportunities for community engagement for Camden residents. It also contributes to improving public health and wellbeing through exercise and community interaction.

Contact

Office of Brownfield and Community Revitalization
401 East State Street
PO Box 420, Mail Code: 05K
Trenton, NJ 08625
P: 609-292-1251

Overview

Other Resources

Contact

Office of Brownfield and Community Revitalization
401 East State Street
PO Box 420, Mail Code: 05K
Trenton, NJ 08625
P: 609-292-1251