BROWNFIELDS FORUM Urban Revitalization 2009: Building the Smart Growth Link Between Redevelopment and Sustainable Communities

Forum: 3:00 – 5:30pm
Meet-and-Greet Networking Opportunity: 6:00 – 7:00pm

Please plan to join New Partners for Community Revitalization on November 17th, from 3:00pm – 7:00pm for an exciting, educational Forum on Brownfields. These events, which will take place in Manhattan, feature an afternoon working session, followed by an early evening meet-and-greet networking opportunity with state elected officials and senior agency staff.

Even as private capital is drying up and buildable land is decreasing, the State’s brownfield programs are poised to energize the urban landscape and become an important economic development and smart growth driver. The Forum will focus on changes in the State’s Brownfield Programs resulting from the new reforms signed into law by Governor David Paterson on July 23, 2008. Learn what is on the horizon for funding, training, and regulations. Then, join us for informal networking with Legislators, agency officials, economic development, community and municipal leaders, and other practitioners, and hear from State leaders about the latest cutting edge smart growth/brownfield opportunities. Already, Secretary of State Lorraine Cortes-Vazquez has accepted our invitation to be a keynote speaker and NYSDEC Deputy Commissioner Val Washington will make a presentation on the Brownfield Cleanup Program.

The Forum will include discussions about:

• A refreshed, more efficient Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) program, which includes new funding and expedited processing for municipalities and community groups for brownfields planning.

• Re-structured Brownfield Tax Credits – increased BTCs for cleanup costs, and a 2% bonus for developers that build consistent with a BOA plan.

• The status of the Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP), including eligibility.

Registration details and more information about the Forum are available on NPCR’s web site: www.npcr.net