GOSHEN — The Orange County Industrial Development Agency is launching a new effort to clean up and redevelop contaminated properties across the county, thanks to a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
County officials, economic development leaders and federal partners toured several long-neglected properties last week, including sites in and around Newburgh, as part of the IDA’s Brownfields Revitalization Initiative. The program seeks to identify, assess and eventually clean up properties that have sat idle or underused for years.
Traditionally, the IDA has focused on attracting and supporting private investment, but this initiative is based on a broader mission that begins before development or beneficial reuse is even possible.
“These are properties that, in many cases, have been sitting for decades,” said Bill Fioravanti, CEO of the Orange County IDA. “This initiative is a great opportunity to take properties that are eyesores and rehabilitate them, simultaneously removing threats to the environment and turning them into revenue generators.”
Fiorvanti spoke about how some of the county’s most promising development opportunities are also its most challenging. So-called “brownfields,” often former industrial sites, can be costly and complex to clean up, deterring private developers. By working with the EPA and conducting early-stage assessments, the IDA hopes to remove that barrier.
EPA Regional Administrator and former New York State Senator Mike Martucci emphasized the broader community impact of the effort. “When we invest in cleaning up and reusing former industrial properties, local families gain healthier, safer neighborhoods and entrepreneurs gain new sites to open businesses and create jobs,” Martucci said.
Collaboration at all levels of government is key, officials say, because the future of these sites may extend beyond traditional commercial development. While some parcels could become new hubs for manufacturing, tourism, or housing, others may be better suited for parks or open space, such as the former Diamond Candle Factory in New Windsor, which the county is considering redeveloping into a county park, with the assistance of state and federal cleanup funding.
Federal, state, and county officials at the former Diamond Candle Factory property in New Windsor.
Another large, unused parcel is the former Consolidated Iron and Metal property on the Hudson River waterfront in Newburgh. Following previous site remediation in 2012, the City of Newburgh has suggested using the EPA Superfund Redevelopment Program to revitalize the current open space.
Blighted areas in the City of Newburgh have long affected residents’ quality of life. Fiorvanti sees this new partnership as an opportunity to breathe new life into properties in both the City of Newburgh and throughout Orange County.
The program actively seeks input from municipalities, residents, and property owners to identify priority sites and determine their best future use. In its first outreach meeting held at the Orange County Emergency Management Center in Goshen last week, IDA and EPA officials met with dozens of local leaders and community members to discuss how the program could best serve local communities.
For the IDA, the initiative represents a natural evolution of its mission. “Our goal is to prepare sites for the next generation of investment,” Fioravanti said, noting the agency’s focus on sectors like advanced manufacturing and life sciences. But unlike traditional “shovel-ready” efforts, this work begins with environmental uncertainty, requiring public investment and patience before private dollars can follow. Still, officials see the payoff as significant: reduced blight, improved public health, expanded tax bases, and new opportunities for both economic development and community use.
Fiorvanti says the IDA’s move into brownfield redevelopment is about recognizing that in places like Orange County, the path to growth often starts with cleaning up the past.
Comments