Goals of the Brownfield Opportunity Area Program

The NYS DOS Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) Program provides an opportunity to apply a neighborhood planning approach to the assessment and redevelopment of brownfields and other vacant or abandoned properties. The BOA planning process facilitates the transition of unproductive, and often blighted, properties into productive use creating jobs, housing or community amenities for residents and visitors.

Goals of the program include: 

• Assess the full range of community redevelopment opportunities posed by a concentration of brownfields. 
• Build a shared community vision for the reuse of strategic sites. Identify actions and partnerships to achieve community revitalization. 
• Coordinate and collaborate with local, state, and federal agencies, community groups, and private-sector partners to identify and implement solutions and leverage investments for community improvement. 

When key sites are remediated and redeveloped, these properties can increase neighboring property values and the local tax base, ameliorate public health risks and environmental justice concerns, address food deserts, and spur additional investment in a community.