Cuomo proposes reform of the Brownfields program

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed changes to the Brownfield redevelopment program, which targets blighted communities and properties that might otherwise stay vacant and polluted. Cuomo’s reforms will limit the state's Brownfield Tax Credit program to reward money spent only on actual clean-up, not subsequent development. Going forward, the program would be limited to areas in economic distress, on land worth less than the cost of clean-up, or for projects that include the creation of affordable housing.

The Brownfields program was designed to encourage the clean-up of polluted sites by potential developers, but has cost more than $1 billion to rehabilitate more than 200 sites over the last decade.