NJIT Launches NJ Brownfields Assistance Center
New Jersey communities grappling to bring damaged properties to productive reuse will now be able to turn to NJIT experts for advice, as the university recently launched NJ Brownfields Assistance Center @ NJIT, the first of its kind center that solely serves New Jersey.
New Jersey statutes define brownfields 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,” such as an old gas station or abandoned factory site.
The center aims to educate and engage communities around brownfield issues. It will also provide free guidance and resources to county and municipal governments challenged with navigating the redevelopment process.
NJEDA provided NJIT with the funding to establish the center. "Returning contaminated sites to productive use is an essential component of Governor Murphy’s commitment to building stronger, more vibrant communities across New Jersey," NJEDA Chief Executive Officer Tim Sullivan said. "NJIT has an impressive history of helping communities successfully take on transformative redevelopment projects. We are excited to work with them and our partners at the municipal level to make New Jersey a safer, healthier place to live and work."
Sullivan said redeveloped brownfield sites are an important part of Gov. Phil Murphy’s desire to improve the state economy and boost sustainability efforts. Murphy has proposed a remediation and redevelopment tax credit, along with an expanded brownfields loan program through NJEDA, Sullivan said.
The center is led by Colette Santasieri and her team of engineers, environmental scientists, planners and social scientists. They bring a glass-half-full approach to brownfields as opportunities to spur economic growth, improve social equity, and foster community land uses such as housing, retail and recreation.
“We are grateful to the EDA for providing the seed money to launch the NJ Brownfields Assistance Center @ at NJIT,” said Santasieri. “Our first order of business is to provide free guidance to NJ communities in an effort to get them over their brownfields hurdles. As we continue to build this center, we will engage with stakeholders in the brownfields industry, including consultants, contractors, and developers to create tools and resources for the private sector. We will also create opportunities for students to engage with communities and brownfield industry stakeholders.”
The center will host learning labs and provide personalized guidance, which could include topics such as the administrative and technical aspects of managing brownfield properties. It will develop tools, strategies, and resources; create partnerships; and provide subject matter experts to brownfields-challenged communities.
On campus, "I would very much like to connect the work that we're doing to the academic area of the university, where we have students actively working with us," Santasieri said. She noted the possibilities for collaboration with academic areas such as architecture, civil engineering, environmental engineering and management — "I would love for there to be a course with a service learning component, in which students from different disciplines work directly with New Jersey communities and alongside environmental consultants, giving our students real-world experience."
Separately, Santasieri already leads NJIT's federally funded program called Technical Assistance to Brownfield (TAB) Communities, formed in 2008. The university’s TAB program has helped hundreds of communities advance brownfield sites toward redevelopment by providing technical assistance across the Northeast and Southeast under cooperative agreements with the United State Environmental Protection Agency.
For NJ county and local government entities seeking free brownfields guidance, contact njbrownfields@njit.edu
To learn more about business and industry sponsorship opportunities, contact Colette Santasieri santasieri@njit.edu