SPR’s 2025 New York State Brownfield Cleanup Program Results

SPR is proud to announce the Firm’s extraordinary results in 2025 for clients with sites in the New York State Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP).

The BCP is a voluntary, incentive-based program in which contaminated properties known as “brownfields” can be remediated for redevelopment and reuse. The successful remediation of a BCP site culminates in the issuance of a Certificate of Completion (COC) by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), which certifies that the site has achieved the cleanup level consistent with its intended future use. The COC further provides certain liability protections for site owners and operators, and also triggers the availability of BCP tax incentives.

In 2025, NYSDEC issued 42 COCs Statewide. SPR provided counsel to 13 (or 30%) of those BCP sites, which are located throughout New York City and were remediated to accommodate various future uses, ranging from commercial to unrestricted use. Notably, nearly 1,000 new affordable housing units will be constructed on the Firm’s 2025 BCP sites, which will help to alleviate the ongoing housing crisis in New York City. In prior years, SPR has helped clients obtain COCs for BCP sites located across the State.

Highlighting a couple of the Firm’s major 2025 BCP successes, SPR served as environmental counsel for the 114 Snediker Avenue BCP site located at 114 Snediker Avenue in Brooklyn. Upon completion, the site will operate as an intake and assessment site for single women experiencing homelessness, offering 200 beds in 61 dormitory-style units. SPR also provided counsel to 251 Douglass Street in Gowanus, Brooklyn, where our client successfully implemented a large-scale in situ soil stabilization project to remediate historical manufactured gas plant impacts, setting the precedent for remediation in the neighborhood. This mixed-use development will provide 65 affordable housing units and 260 residential units in total.

These 2025 BCP achievements illustrate SPR’s unparalleled experience and expertise in advising clients on how to remediate contaminated sites and navigate the BCP. Read more about SPR’s capabilities and attorneys here.