(08/50) TRENTON - The Department of Environmental Protection has designated sections of Asbury Park, Belmar, Haddon Township and Sayreville as Brownfield Development Areas, enabling these municipalities to draw from the DEP’s expertise and resources as they redevelop, Commissioner Lisa P. Jackson announced today.

“By virtue of this designation, the Brownfield Development Areas in these communities are becoming the highest priority redevelopment areas in the state,” Commissioner Jackson said. “The DEP will work closely with these municipalities, helping them achieve their vision of developing thriving communities that will produce tax revenues, jobs, and good homes, including affordable housing.”

The Springwood Avenue Brownfield Development Area, straddling Asbury Park’s Springwood Avenue from Memorial Drive west to Neptune Township, was once a prosperous commercial district that pulsed to the rhythms of jazz nightclubs.

But riots during the late 1960s and early 1970s shattered this prosperity, leaving the district a shell of burned-down buildings and abandoned homes and businesses. Today, much of the area is vacant or is contaminated by fuel from former filling stations.

The city’s redevelopment plan calls for a gateway-style community that includes new businesses, a mix of residential units that include affordable housing, a public water park, a passive park, and restaurants. This Brownfield Development Area is adjacent to the existing West Lake Avenue Brownfield Development Area in Neptune Township.

Belmar’s Seaport Brownfield Development Area consists of vacant land, a former boat repair garage, an automotive garage, automobile dealerships, municipal complex, and parking lots near the Shark River.

The borough’s redevelopment plan calls for a mixed residential and commercial area following fishing village, Main Street and town center motifs. Residential units will include senior citizen and affordable housing.

Haddon Township’s Towne Centre at Haddon Brownfield Development Area consists of industrial and commercial properties in the heart of the township along Haddon Avenue between Center Street and Lake Avenue. The properties include the former Dy-Dee diaper-laundering operation.

The township plans to tap into the area’s proximity to the PATCO Hi-Speedline as it develops the area into a mixed-use, transit-oriented development that will include town homes and loft and condominium units.

The Sayreville Economic and Redevelopment Agency plans to redevelop several parcels that make up the National Lead site along the Raritan River and the adjacent Horseshoe Road/Atlantic Resources Corp. Superfund site into a variety of uses, including residential, retail, office, a waterfront promenade and amphitheater, and community complex. The area is contaminated by past industrial activities.

The DEP launched the Brownfield Development Program in 2002.With the four new designations, the DEP now oversees 26 Brownfield Development Areas. Previously designated areas are in various stages of investigation, cleanup and redevelopment.

Municipalities that have been designated as Brownfield Development Areas are eligible for grants of up to $5 million each year from the DEP’s Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund for site investigation and remediation. The DEP also assigns a case manager to assist the communities in overseeing remediation, obtaining financial assistance, and coordinating revitalization efforts with other state agencies.

Communities bring together various stakeholders to develop applications for designation as a Brownfield Development Area. These stakeholders include owners of contaminated properties, potentially responsible parties, developers, community groups, technical experts, and residents. Municipal adoption of a formal redevelopment plan is a required component of the application.

Municipalities interested in being considered in the 2009 round of Brownfield Development Area designations may submit applications from January through March 31, 2009.

Applications must be submitted by a steering committee representing the community and must include the boundaries of the proposed Brownfield Development Area, sites to be addressed, and a description of current activities within the area. Applicants must demonstrate that their redevelopment plan is achievable.

For more information on brownfields and the Brownfield Development Area initiative, go to: http://www.nj.gov/dep/srp/brownfields/