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Eastern Market Report
New Jersey Awards $5.2 Million for Cleanup
“Total dollars approved in 2004 for the assessment, investigation and
remediation of contaminated and underutilized sites came to more than $5.2 million,
which has gone to 36 different municipalities,” said New Jersey Economic
Development Authority (EDA) CEO Caren S. Franzini.
“More than $60 million in grants and low-interest loans has been provided
to help municipalities clean up brownfield properties and restore them to productive
use since funds for this purpose became available more than a decade ago.”
Some of the funds awarded in the fourth quarter were:
• $83,061 to Florham Park to conduct preliminary assessment and site investigation
of two contiguous parcels of land currently used to store construction vehicles
and materials and suspected of having environmental contamination. The borough
intends to redevelop the properties for recreational use.
• $48,213 to Asbury Park for the investigation of potential environmental
areas of concern associated with residential and commercial buildings on 28
sites. Asbury Park plans to redevelop the properties for residential use.
• $9,080 to Bridgeton for completion of a site investigation at the former
Four Stars produce packaging facility on Grove Street. Bridgeton aims to redevelop
the property for industrial use.
• $19,893 to Hoboken for completion of a remedial investigation at the
Todd Shipyards site, which the city plans to redevelop for residential use.
• $35,483 to Perth Amboy for a preliminary assessment and site investigation
associated with property once used as a gas station. Perth Amboy’s plans
call for redevelopment of the land for commercial use.
• $4,856 to Pleasantville for a preliminary assessment of properties formerly
used as a storage and distribution facility, which the city plans to redevelop
for mixed use.
• $134,057 to the Township of East Brunswick to perform a remedial investigation
on a 6.5-acre property formerly used by the Middlesex County Bus Company. The
township plans to redevelop the site for residential and recreational use. East
Brunswick had received prior HDSRF grants totaling more than $265,000 for preliminary
assessment and site investigation activities associated with the property.
• $6,000 to Neptune City for a preliminary assessment of a former ice
company site, which the borough expects to redevelop for commercial and residential
use.
• $30,926 to Pleasantville for preliminary assessment and site investigation
activities associated with a commercial laundry facility, which will be redeveloped
for mixed-use purposes.
• $1,856 in supplemental site investigation grant funding to enable Riverside
to complete environmental activities on a former industrial facility and current
office building. The property will be redeveloped for residential, commercial
and retail use.
The funding is made available under the Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation
Fund (HDSRF) to New Jersey municipalities for sites they acquire through foreclosure
or purchase or on which they hold tax sale certificates.
Municipalities can apply for grants or low-interest loans under the program
to investigate and clean up contaminated, underutilized properties. Individuals,
businesses and other private entities also can use the program, which is administered
by the EDA in conjunction with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
(DEP).