Contaminated and decrepit properties across the state will be transformed thanks to two programs awarding millions of dollars to address barriers to development, according to a press release from the governor’s office....more
D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson introduced the Vacant to Vibrant Amendment Act of 2024 (B25-1003) on Oct. 15, 2024. The legislation proposes several measures to help the District of Columbia (District) combat and remedy...more
The end of June saw the D.C. Council pass the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Support Act of 2024 and the Fiscal Year 2025 Local Budget Act of 2024. The 2025 budget includes the “Central Washington Activation Conversion Program...more
S.C. Department of Revenue (“SCDOR”) Information Letter #24-6 addresses recent amendments to the South Carolina Abandoned Buildings Revitalization Act (the “Act”). The Act was enacted in 2013 to incentivize the...more
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, along with Lt. Governor Jon Husted and Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik, recently announced a $152 million investment in projects “to transform communities along Ohio’s...more
Fairfax County government recently announced a new multiyear planning initiative to modernize the Virginia county's Policy Plan, a key component of its Comprehensive Plan. This effort, called "Plan Forward," will focus on...more
Boston is continuing its commitment to planning-led rezoning with the recent release by the Boston Planning and Development Agency ("BPDA") of a draft zoning text amendment and zoning map to implement the PLAN: Downtown...more
Senate Bill (SB) 1227, introduced by Senator Scott Wiener on February 15, 2024, would help speed the recovery of downtown San Francisco by creating a new CEQA exemption for qualifying commercial, institutional, student...more
Recognizing that Downtown San Francisco is “struggling” post-pandemic, State Senator Scott Wiener has announced new legislation to exempt certain projects in the area from California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review...more
As commercial real estate markets across the U.S. cope with rising costs and slowing demand, Florida has been a rare bright spot. The Sunshine State has welcomed a record number of people and businesses in recent years, and...more
While some developers are dragged reluctantly into redeveloping brownfields, others actively pursue these environmentally impacted properties in recognition of the advantages they can provide under the right circumstances....more
The Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) recently released further application details and information regarding its Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program (the Program), which recently received renewed funding...more
Today Governor Maura Healy signed legislation extending the eligibility deadlines for the Massachusetts Brownfields tax credits program by five years. The legislation had been included in the budget bill, which had recently...more
On June 13, 2023, the House of Representatives passed HB 255 (124-79), a groundbreaking bill introduced by Rep. Robert E. Merski (D-Erie Co). This bill aims to fund local municipal code enforcement efforts and establish a...more
At the June 13, 2023 Board of Supervisors hearing, the “Commercial to Residential Adaptive Reuse and Downtown Economic Revitalization” legislation was introduced. The legislation would amend various Planning Code sections to...more
In response to Mayor London Breed’s recent Executive Directive, titled “Housing For All,” on May 4, 2023, the San Francisco Planning Commission voted to recommend that the Board of Supervisors approve a package of Planning...more
Redevelopment agencies (RDAs) have held a rather infamous position in California history. While originally created to address urban decay (aka “blight”), generally speaking, RDAs developed into entities that wielded the...more
The San Francisco Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval on May 4 of two ordinances aimed at revitalizing the City’s Downtown, South of Market Street, and Union Square districts. Vacant Office and...more
On May 1, 2023, the New York State Legislature voted to adopt the Fiscal Year 2024 budget which included the renewal and extension of the sunset date of five programs that abate real estate taxes, reduce commercial rent tax,...more
This week a bill was introduced in the Alabama Legislature which would expand the state’s Brownfield Redevelopment and Voluntary Cleanup Program through the implementation of new features aimed to increase participation in...more
The Huntington Town Board is currently seeking input from residents, businesses and others for a new plan for the redevelopment of the Melville Employment Center (“MEC”). The new plan will build upon a prior plan that was...more
The exact number of brownfield sites in the United States is not known. Some sources estimate the number at more than 450,000, amounting to more than five million total acres of land. One report estimated that U.S. cities...more
When New York Governor Kathy Hochul executed the 2022-2023 State Budget, it included a 10-year extension to the State’s Brownfield Cleanup Program (“BCP” or “Program). The State’s voluntary, incentive-laced, BCP was set to...more
The New York State Legislature has passed legislation that amends the NYS Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP) and associated tax credit program and extends the program for another 10 years. The amendments extend the BCP, which...more
Revitalizing Brownfields has long been considered a centerpiece for community efforts to encourage growth and development of properties impacted by contamination. In 2021, Oregon’s Legislature passed HB 2518, which seeks to...more