TCSP-1999 Grant Proposals

Preparing Modern Intermodal Freight Infrastructure to Support Brownfield Economic Redevelopment
Northern New Jersey

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ABSTRACT

This innovative, regional-level planning effort will facilitate the redevelopment of abandoned industrial brownfield sites by freight related businesses which are participating in the dramatic growth in trade through the port, airport and rail terminals in northern New Jersey. With the help of a wide range of agencies and regional stakeholders, the project will leverage statewide and regional resources to overcome current constraints affecting brownfield redevelopment. The project team will conduct a market analysis, compile an inventory of promising brownfield sites, perform outreach to communities and carry out detailed case studies. Upon completion of these tasks, state, regional and community planners will be able to address needed transportation access to brownfield sites and effectively market the sites for freight related activities. This will help to provide new employment opportunities for urban residents, avert inefficient sprawl, reduce the volume of trucks on regional roads and safeguard the environment. Insights gained during the course of the project will provide the basis for a regional action plan that identifies transportation improvements and strategies needed to promote brownfields reuse and the development of methodologies applicable to brownfields efforts nationwide.

Table of Contents:

DESCRIPTION - Vision;
Purpose;
Need;
Innovative Approach;
Major Tasks;
TCSP OBJECTIVES;
MPO/STATE COORDINATION;
PARTNERS;
SCHEDULE;
BUDGET;
EVALUATION
APPENDIX

DESCRIPTION

Vision

This project seeks to harness a major economic development opportunity brought about by the huge projected growth of freight traffic at the port, airport and rail terminals in northern New Jersey. The challenges posed by this growth present the region with two starkly different futures:

1. ) Freight traffic doubles over the next decade creating welcome economic benefits for some business sectors but many freight businesses move operations to "greenfields" on the fringes of the region and in neighboring states. Open spaces in these areas are consumed by sprawl development. Long-distance trucking of goods to and from the core port district increases, compounding already difficult congestion, worsening air quality and wearing out aging infrastructure. Residents of urban areas near the port are left with precious few job opportunities as former industrial sites sit idle and crumbling. Ultimately, the region's problems depress further growth in trade and economic development.
2. Large numbers of businesses taking part in the expansion of trade in the region redevelop and locate in abandoned industrial brownfield sites scattered in and around the port district and along major routes leading to it. Upgraded transportation infrastructure allows goods from these businesses to move efficiently around the region with truck trips kept to a minimum distance while facilitating maximum use of rail intermodal services to more distant markets. and rail shipments burgeoning to capacity levels. Regional air quality improves. Unemployed rResidents of Newark, Elizabeth and other urban areas gain access to a host of new job opportunities as warehousing, packaging and other freight related companies expand operations nearby. Cities gain new ratables through the reinvestment in infrastructure, school systems and neighborhoods. Ultimately, the progress of the region attracts further growth in trade and economic development.

The first scenario is the likely outcome of an unguided and haphazard response to events. The second scenario, as detailed in this proposal, can be the result of a broad-based, coordinated planning effort to encourage freight businesses to locate in the region's many abandoned industrial "brownfield" sites. In effect, this project's main purpose is to reclaim and put to productive economic use the transportation and land assets that underpinned the earlier vibrant industrial economy of northern New Jersey, thus re-enlivening economic opportunities for the urban centers that have historically grown around these old industrial sites.

It would do this by marshalling the expertise and participation of a wide range of transportation and technical specialists and state and regional stakeholders. Federal support for this effortproject would enable the region to conduct the necessary research, public outreach, case studies and other planning activities , therebythat will provide a focused transportation planning approach that can overcome agency jurisdictional boundaries and thereby combine and leverage the current disparate state and local programs targeted at brownfield redevelopment. overcoming leading to an action plan that overcomes current jurisdictional boundaries and funding constraints that have prevented effective regional-level brownfields planning. The act

ion plan, tools, methodologies and other products developed by this project would allow state and local agencies to more effectively use and leverage It would also more effectively leverage existing federal, state and local brownfield funding funds initiatives. combine and leverage disparate efforts towa

The lead organizations for conducting the project will be: the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, Inc. (NJTPA) which is the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) responsible for coordinating transportation plans for 5.8 million residents of the 13 northern counties and two largest cities in New Jersey; and its host agency, New Jersey Institute of Technology, the state's technological university and headquarters to the Institute for Transportation funded by TEA 21 and the EPA-funded Northeast Hazardous Substance Research Center (NHSRC). The Center is a leader in using state-of-the-art analytical field technologies for assessing brownfield site contamination. The project being proposed is therefore groundbreaking for several reasons: it approaches brownfield issues from a regional metropolitan planning perspective; it brings together local and regional planning assets and private sector expertise; and it employs the advanced technical resources of a university with expertise in the field.

Purpose

The project seeks to achieve the following goals:

• Prepare for and support increased freight activity in and around Newark International Airport, the Port of NY-NJ and other major transportation facilities;
• Reduce freight-driven sprawl in greenfield areas in outer regions by developing freight and trade related distribution facilities within existing transportation corridors;
• Improve the efficiency of existing road and rail systems;
• Increase community awareness and acceptance of brownfield redevelopment initiatives;
• Increase job opportunities for workers with limited skills living in the inner city communities surrounding the major transportation facilities and examine new strategies to provide access for urban workforce to such areas;
• Reclaim abandoned brownfields sites for productive freight related use;
• Promote patterns of development that improve air quality and protect the environment; and
• Develop a methodology for performing a regional assessment of freight transportation issues related to brownfield redevelopment.

The Need

Northern New Jersey has the largest port on the North American Atlantic seaboard and one of the fastest growing air cargo hubs in North America. The port of New York and New Jersey is experiencing strong trade growth spurred by recent free trade agreements such as GATT and NAFTA. It is the distribution platform to the largest consumer market in North America, encompassing the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut metropolitan area and much of the mid-Atlantic and New England regions. The port's traffic reaches 34 percent of the North American population and its service to more distant North American markets is expanding as it becomes a focal point for growth in Canadian and Midwest cargoes. Its trans-Atlantic maritime traffic is also growing as a result of robust European trade, geographic shifts in world production centers to Southeast and South Asia, and increased trade with South America, Africa and the Middle East.

Recently released information by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANY&NJ), as it finalizes its comprehensive Port Master Plan, bears out staggering projections of growth in this port's trade (see Appendix). The port's current volume of approximately 2.5 million twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) will double within ten years, even allowing for occasional economic downturns. By the year 2040, according to most conservative projections, port container traffic will increase more than sixfold over current levels to as many as 17 million TEUs. The latter level of traffic is expected to generate over 230,000 new port-related jobs in addition to the 166,500 jobs currently related to NY-NJ's port industry. The Port Authority's analysis of the economic impact of this traffic stream is that it will eventually add more than $30 billion to the port's current $20 billion economic impact in the region. To handle this huge increase in maritime cargo, the port must implement new technologies to move cargo more efficiently through its existing terminals. However, even with new efficiencies, the port, over time, will need to add a minimum of 1,200 acres of new marine terminals to handle the traffic. On the landside, some analysts forecast that the projected growth in rail and port freight traffic will require an additional 1,000 to 1,500 acres of rail intermodal terminal capacity.

Newark International Airport, the northeast's major hub for package airfreight services is located adjacent to the port complex. The airport has recently passed the one million ton level in air cargo. Its air freight traffic will expand significantly with the completion of a 2,800 foot runway extension in the year 2000, which will give the airport the ability to handle heavy 747 aircraft year-round to all international destinations. Major carriers such as FedEx, UPS, Airborne, Continental and Scandinavian airlines are expanding services at the airport in anticipation of increased cargo flow. Based on its natural advantages in road access to broad regional markets, it is expected to overtake JFK International Airport as the northeast's largest air cargo center within the next few years.

Northern New Jersey is also at the center of expanding railroad operations resulting from the acquisition of Conrail by Norfolk-Southern and CSX railroads. The railroads have projected that they will divert an additional one million domestic containers now being trucked into the northeast off main roadway arteries. Much of this traffic is destined to the NY-NJ metro area where it will be transferred from rail terminals to other distribution centers for final delivery by truck. The railroads have great financial incentive to increase other traffic as well. For instance, one rail terminal where traffic is expected to grow is the APL terminal in South Kearny, which is the dedicated terminus for transcontinental "landbridge" operations from major West Coast ports.

It is therefore clear that with its concentration of major marine, air and landside freight facilities, northern New Jersey's freight distribution industries are poised for dramatic growth in both number and capability. This is the result of major structural changes taking place in national and international trade as well as the operational efficiencies the region offers in serving markets from a strategic core location. Indeed, because the NY-NJ metro area is such a huge market and is both an attractor and generator of freight, the region stands to experience a "juggernaut" of increased freight activity in the not too distant future.

Yet it is also clear that the projections for growth in port, air, and rail traffic do not fully take into account the need for landside freight support services or the strategic question of where those services can best be located. Based on similar experience in other hub port areas on the West Coast, large volumes of port and air cargo will, in turn, generate intense demand for new distribution support services and light manufacturing activities within short distances from key terminals and major freight routes. This includes the creation and expansion of "spin-off" businesses performing assembly, packaging and other value-added functions for goods that usually employ unskilled and semi-skilled workers. While some of these activities are already present in the NY-NJ region, increased trade through New Jersey's port and airport complex is expected to add dramatically to demand for such services in the region-- potentially creating many thousands of jobs beyond the increases projected by the Port Authority.

However, the region's ability to capture this economic development is not assured. The region's congested and aging transportation infrastructure limits mobility, frustrates new business activity and hampers the achievement of air quality goals. And, after decades of de-industrialization in the region, there are significant numbers of large property parcels that remain abandoned, awaiting cleanup and rehabilitation. While many of these parcels are very near major transportation terminals and arteries and are, therefore, promising sites for new or expanded freight related businesses, their redevelopment is complicated by the need to clean up contaminants and upgrade often outdated and deteriorated transportation infrastructure.

Absent well-targeted and coordinated initiatives leading to new investments that address these issues and bring about positive land use patterns, the efficiencies and related environmental and energy-use benefits of northern New Jersey's centralized freight service system are at risk. In particular, there is a threat that transportation companies and businesses that provide value-added distribution services will locate their operations in greenfield locations on the fringe of the region and in adjacent states. Large scale greenfield development outside this core area would lead to massive new trucking over greater distances on congested highways feeding into the metro area and its port and airport facilities. Longer truck trips exacerbate the region's status as a non-attainment air quality region. The EPA has determined that the largest in-state contributors to poor air quality in New Jersey are emissions from mobile sources (i.e. cars and trucks). Increased truck trips to extra-regional intermodal facilities would also hamper the region's efforts to increase intermodal freight rail services at the 14 major rail yards and terminals in its core industrial region. In economic development terms, the large scale development of greenfields by freight related businesses would mean that large tracts of land would likely remain off urban tax rolls, accompanied by the loss of sorely needed employment opportunities for large numbers of urban residents near the port district.

To reduce negative transportation and land development impacts on the region, safeguard existing transportation industries and jobs, and to capture the economic development potential of the expected growth in freight activity, the region has no choice but to increase the efficiency of its transportation infrastructure and to take advantage of available land assets that can add capacity to the freight distribution system in the core port district.

Significant efforts to achieve transportation efficiencies in the port/airport area are on the drawing board. Governor Christine Todd Whitman has announced that the New Jersey Department of Transportation is in the early planning stages of a major roadway project dubbed the "Portway Project" that will create a semi-dedicated truck corridor that would link major port, warehouse, and rail intermodal terminals in northern New Jersey. The Portway project is seen as a part of a larger federally financed freight corridor development program in northern New Jersey called the "International Intermodal Transportation Center and Corridor" that is earmarked in TEA 21. The Port Authority of NY&NJ is planning more than $6 billion in waterside and port infrastructure investments over the next twenty years. In addition, the northern New Jersey five year Transportation Improvement Program currently includes over $800 million for maintaining and upgrading existing roadway, bridge and highway landside access in the general port area.

While these efforts have focused upon using transportation investments to accommodate increased highway and rail traffic, they have paid relatively little attention to using these same investments to promote brownfields redevelopment by freight related businesses that will generate much of the traffic. One key reason is that the MPO, state and localities lack effective methodologies and planning tools to evaluate projects for their economic and land use impacts. This leaves the numerous brownfield sites scattered throughout the region largely neglected as resources not only for accommodating the tremendous potential for freight related economic development but for insuring the future efficiency of the transportation system and meeting economic, social and environmental goals. This project will close the gap in knowledge and capabilities needed to achieve brownfields redevelopment through a coordinated, regional-level planning effort.

An Innovative Leveraged Approach to Brownfields Issues

This project is grounded in a recognition that with key public works improvements and private sector support, redevelopment of the large number of brownfield sites in municipalities surrounding the core airport, rail, and port areas and along major freight routes can be encouraged. While state-level coordination of brownfields activities is underway through the Brownfields Team composed of five members from state agencies and six members of the public, this task force is focusing on broad legislative and policy matters and the compilation of a state wide inventory of brownfield sites. The proposed NJTPA/NJIT project, coordinating closely with this state-level task force, will pursue a specific and particularly promising approach to site redevelopment tied to freight related cargo growth at the region's port, airport, and rail complexes. This approach can only be effective with the involvement of all levels of government and a variety of stakeholders coordinating on a regional level.

This region-level approach has not been tried in large part due to constraints on the use of available funds. While the MPO is charged with undertaking "comprehensive" regional planning, the transportation funding sources on which it relies, in practice, limit its ability to undertake such a project. In particular, while transportation planning funds can be used for general analyses of freight industry infrastructure needs, they cannot be directly applied to economic development and remediation analysis for specific brownfield sites. Other agencies participating in the project face similar institutional funding constraints as well as practical difficulties in assigning staff to work on projects outside of their core agency mandates.

This makes the proposed NJTPA/NJIT project appropriate for grant funding to demonstrate the value of such a multidisciplinary, regional approach. The knowledge and experience gained through the project will suggest whether on-going efforts that cross agency jurisdictional lines and focus on regional-level freight needs are warranted and how this can be accomplished. It will also suggest new elements and directions for the MPO planning process and for brownfields development efforts in New Jersey and other states.

To pursue the project, the NJTPA and NJIT have gained commitments for participation from key state and local agencies with jurisdiction over various aspects of brownfields development as well as from non-traditional participants with an interest or expertise in brownfields issues. This collaborative effort is detailed in the PARTNERS section. The project will draw upon these agency and organizational resources to augment and build upon the localized brownfields efforts now underway in the region. These include EPA grant-funded projects which are being carried out with assistance from NJIT's Northeast Hazardous Substance Research Center in the cities of Elizabeth, Newark, Jersey City, Perth Amboy and Paterson and in the counties of Hudson, Middlesex and Morris

The project will "overlay" such localized efforts with an innovative regional approach to find ways to enhance the match between the expected regional demand for developable land created by the growth of freight related business with the regional supply of appropriate brownfield sites.

Major Tasks

This section provides a summary of major tasks to be completed by the NJTPA-NJIT project team. It is assumed that the project will get underway by July 1, 1999. (Note: In the Budget section under Appendix A, administration is listed as Task A, therefore the following tasks begin with Task B.) A Gantt chart of these activities is provided in the Schedule section below. Milestones and key deliverable dates are indicated in parentheses and bold type:

B. Steering/Advisory Committees(Established and meeting by 8/15/99)

Establish a Steering Committee of several key agencies (see Partners section) to assist and consult with NJTPA and NJIT in the day-to-day conduct of the project.

Establish a large Advisory Committee to provide input on project tasks, critique work being done and recommend certain actions that the study team can undertake. Task Force work groups dedicated to focused areas of project work are likely to be formed. The Advisory Committee will be composed of major public and private stakeholders, including non-traditional community and environmental groups. Examples are listed below:

• Leading marine, rail, trucking and real estate companies and associations such as Maher and Global Terminal Cos. FedEx, UPS, East Coast Warehouse, Port Jersey Warehouse, NJ Motor Truck Assn., NJ Alliance for Action, Hartz Mountain Industries
• State government agencies with responsibilities over environmental protection, land-use planning and brownfields (NJDEP, NJOSP); transportation (NJDOT, The Port Authority of NY&NJ); commerce (NJ Commerce and Growth Commission); social services, welfare-to-work and education (NJSETC);
• County and local governments; public interest, civic, and environmental organizations (NJ Chamber of Commerce, NJ Business and Industry Assoc., Tri-State Transportation Campaign/Rutgers Environmental Law Center).

C. Market Analysis(Start 7/15/99; Completed by 1/15/00)

Survey patterns of brownfield reclamation elsewhere in the US, especially in analogous regions with strong regional consumer markets and concentrations of major port, airport and intermodal terminal complexes. This analysis will: (11/1/1999)

• Identify types of redevelopment patterns and types of industry locating in such areas, i.e. light industry, warehousing, value added or re-manufacturing activities, etc.
• Survey transportation enhancements, including intelligent transportation systems (ITS) used to meet the needs of industries locating in these brownfield areas.
• Identify and profile employment patterns, industry types, wages and benefits, worker skill requirements, worker educational requirements, worker training required, etc.
• Profile effects of brownfield reclamation on air quality and congestion.

After a thorough analysis of this data, focus will shift to needs and opportunities in the NJTPA region. This will include: (12/1/1999)

• Review of economic projections, studies and plans prepared by the Port Authority of NY & NJ and other organizations to assess the economic development prospects in northern New Jersey likely to be generated by expansion of truck, rail, port and air cargo trade.
• A limited survey of freight related businesses in the region to assess short and long term expansion plans and needs, including the types of facilities, operations, workforce and transportation access needed.

Based on the above two analyses, compile industry-specific projections for the growth of freight related businesses in the short and long term and establish general criteria for identifying brownfields suitable for accommodating this growth by industry (e.g. lot size, needed transportation access, workforce accessibility etc.).(1/1/2000)

D. Environmental Scan(Start 8/1/99; Completed by 3/1/00)

Scan existing state and local efforts at brownfield development. These will include NJ Office of State Planning and Department of Environmental Protection lists of known brownfield sites.

Identify additional sites through outreach to county and local governments in the NJTPA region, especially those that are receiving Environmental Protection Agency brownfield reclamation grants.

Screen information databases using general criteria developed in the market analysis. Create an inventory of brownfield sites that have varying degrees of potential for freight-related redevelopment.

E. Evaluate, Document and Determine Promising Brownfield Sites (Start 11/1/99 Comp. 8/1/00)

Establish and apply a methodology for further screening of sites to identify those that offer the best possibility for successful freight-related reclamation including those where transportation investments might have the greatest impact on rehabilitating these sites. Criteria could include proximity to truck and rail routes; proximity to other warehousing and manufacturing operations; proximity to urban populations with significant underemployment and unemployment; and access to public transportation, to name a few.

Compile available information on the remediation costs of the promising sites. Where information is lacking, determine the site history and any known remediation problems using the expertise of NJIT's Northeast Hazardous Substance Research Center.

Conduct a general assessment of needed transportation improvements, air quality impacts, and workforce access issues involved in promoting and accommodating freight-related redevelopment for the most promising sites.

Prepare a preliminary report with mapping of the promising sites including the potential economic, environmental, fiscal, mobility and social benefits and impacts of reclamation for freight related business development and expansion.

Based on the public/community outreach, finalize documentation of the promising sites in a report. In addition to providing site-specific information, the report will identify resources for further defining freight-use cleanup strategies and costs as well as potential innovative assessment and remedial technologies that can save time and cost. (June 1, 2000)

Integrate information on the most promising sites into the brownfields database and Geographic Information System being developed by the NJ Office of State Planning.

Develop educational materials, as appropriate, for presentation to community and stakeholder advisory groups.

F. Public/Community Outreach(Start 10/1/99; Activities throughout project)

With the help of Advisory Committee members, conduct outreach to local residents, officials and business leaders to determine community receptivity to freight related redevelopment of the identified brownfield sites. The extent of public/community outreach depends on the task phase of the project. For instance, the Evaluation of Promising Sites and post Case Study phases of the project will involve more intense outreach efforts. This outreach will include town-hall type meetings and other efforts. It will also include participation in a major brownfields conference sponsored by NJIT's NHSRC scheduled for the Fall of 1999 and the sponsorship of a major conference at the end of the Grant period to present findings of the project. (Final Conference - Feb 2001)

G. Case Studies(Start 4/15/00; Complete 11/15/00)

Working with the Advisory Committee, the project team will select a limited number of brownfield sites for more detailed investigation. These will likely include sites that are representative of various types of physical and locational attributes. Additionally, these sites are likely to have already undergone some level of previous study, possibly including a preliminary determination of remediation needs. Further investigation of the sites will include development of transportation sketch plans for improved freight and workforce access, assessment of air quality impacts, investigation of potential ITS applications, identification of marketing strategies, labor force requirements and training opportunities, etc. Additionally, a list of next-steps to be taken to develop these sites will be prepared.

H. Methodology(Start 8/1/00; Completed 2/1/01)

Based on the insights and lessons learned from the case studies of the most promising sites as well as from community outreach, market analysis and other project activities, the project team will create a workbook outlining information and methodologies to help county and local governments achieve freight-related redevelopment of brownfield sites. The workbook will be applicable to other regions grappling with brownfield redevelopment issues. (2/1/01)

I. Transportation and Community Action Plan(Start 11/01/00; Completed 3/1/2001)

Develop a list of potential projects and strategies, together with potential financing options, that can be considered by the NJTPA, state and local agencies, private sector organizations and other entities for facilitating brownfields redevelopment for freight related business and industries.

Sponsor a conference to present findings and materials developed in the course of the project. The conference will be held Feb 2001.

Develop recommendations for modifications to the NJTPA Regional Transportation Plan, State Transportation Plan, State Development and Redevelopment Plan, and county and local plans as appropriate. Also, make recommendations for modifying the transportation capital planning process to give greater weight to funding transportation improvements that promote more efficient goods movement, including the redevelopment of brownfields as well as transit and other projects that will address workforce accessibility to such sites.

Explore ways to integrate brownfields information into TELUS, the NJTPA's computerized project information system.

Explore and document options available for reducing negative air quality impacts from freight related operations in brownfield sites, for instance, promoting greater diversions from truck to rail service, application of ITS technologies to truck operations and routing, and transit solutions for workforce access to new businesses in brownfield areas.

Prepare print and video materials describing the approach, elements and steps taken in NJTPA's Transportation and Community System Preservation brownfield assessment and transportation action plan that can be presented to community and stakeholder groups. These materials will be made available to USDOT.

Distribute summary materials developed during the course of the grant outlining opportunities for freight related development of brownfield sites.

J. Evaluation (Ongoing with Final Report 3/31/01)

As detailed in the Evaluation section at the end of this grant proposal, the evaluation is designed to provide feedback to the investigators during the planning process as well as an overall, summative evaluation of the impact of the project. Further, the evaluation of the project's impacts will focus on processes, products and outcomes in both short and long-term.

TCSP OBJECTIVES

Improve the Efficiency of the Transportation System

Promoting and facilitating the location of freight related businesses activities in brownfield locations will enhance the efficiency of the regional transportation system by allowing the firms to take advantage of the growth of the domestic rail intermodal freight market in and around the port district while reducing the region's reliance on long distance trucking services.

The public and private transportation improvement needs and strategies identified in the project will become part of a Transportation and Community Action Plan, containing recommendations for the plans and programs of the NJTPA, state and local agencies, private sector organizations and other entities for facilitating brownfields redevelopment. Among the strategies likely to be explored, in cooperation with trANSCOM, a New York/New Jersey regional traffic management agency, are ITS tools for fleet routing so that freight carriers can move loads through the region without increasing congestion.

Reduce the Impacts of Transportation on the Environment

If the projected growth in freight traffic, discussed earlier, occurs without adequate planning, there will be further sprawl, loss of open space, and exacerbation of the region's congestion, air quality and other problems. In contrast, channeling economic development to brownfield areas adjacent to or readily accessible to the port, airport, and major intermodal facilities will shorten and reduce needed truck trips and foster greater use of rail, leading to a lowering of contaminants from vehicle emissions. In addition, the exploration of ITS measures as part of transportation systems providing access to brownfields promises improved efficiency in the core metro area, further helping to lower emissions. This is especially important in the context of freight corridor planning such as the proposed "Portway" project. Another effect on the environment will be the reclamation of abandoned and often-contaminated brownfield sites in the region.

Reduce the Need for Costly Future Investments in Public Infrastructure

Making use of existing land and infrastructure in areas adjacent to the port will avoid the inefficiencies and public costs associated with new freight-related development in suburban "greenfield" locations. While many brownfield sites may require significant investment prior to redevelopment, these investments will be offset by the benefits to be realized by successful redevelopment - reduced wear to roads from truck traffic, lower social welfare and unemployment costs, avoidance of mounting suburban congestion, among other benefits. Recognizing this fact, the state offers a variety of tax incentives for site reclamation. In addition, Newark, Elizabeth and other cities in the region with large numbers of brownfields have been designated Urban Empowerment and Urban Enterprise Zones, providing variety of tax incentives for new business development. This project will seek to effectively leverage these incentives for freight related brownfields redevelopment.

Ensure Efficient Access to Jobs, Services and Centers of Trade

The cities that surround existing brownfields in the region, including Newark, Elizabeth, Jersey City and Paterson, are home to large numbers of people who are not currently active in the workforce or who are underemployed. With the planned end to traditional welfare programs over the next few years, state and local agencies are working to provide these people with training that will allow them to be employed at a living wage. Hence, a revitalization of the brownfields areas for freight-related uses, coupled with appropriate training programs, could expand the job base in close proximity to a large number of unemployed and underemployed residents and welfare recipients in surrounding urbanized areas.

The New Jersey State Employment and Training Commission (SETC) has indicated its commitment to work with regional Workforce Investment Boards (WIB) to enhance the skill levels of the workforce in freight-related occupations. This training, coordination and assistance could become a significant "selling point" and lure for freight related businesses considering brownfields locations. In addition to helping to provide a ready pool of trained workers, the project will use transportation analysis to investigate the options and needs for insuring workforce access to each site.

Examine Development Patterns and Identify Strategies to Encourage Private Sector Development Patterns which Achieve the Goals of the TCSP

If the project can achieve even a small number of successes in making brownfield sites attractive to new private-sector investments in freight support services such as value-added manufacture, warehousing and other freight-related activities, this could set an example and precedent for other firms to seriously consider brownfield sites. The result could be a self-reinforcing trend that would create beneficial new patterns of land use in the region.

To help set such a trend in motion, the project proposes to undertake detailed case studies. With the help of the advisory committee, these will be chosen to be representative of the varied brownfields opportunities in the region. One such case study will likely be a site within the jurisdiction of the Hackensack Meadowland Development Commission (HMDC), which coordinates development policies in portions of 14 municipalities and has an explicit mandate to preserve and protect sensitive wetlands while exercising authority over final development plans, including many brownfields sites. Such a case study would demonstrate the benefits of coordinated efforts among municipalities. Other case studies are likely to focus on sites, which have already undergone some level of study by county or municipal governments. The case studies will yield a methodology and insights applicable to redeveloping other promising sites identified in the region.

MPO and State Coordination

The Board of Trustees of the NJTPA approved this grant proposal for submission on March 8, 1999. The project will be closely coordinated with major state agencies (see Partners section). A key product will be a Transportation and Community Action Plan that will include recommendations for modifications to the NJTPA Regional Transportation Plan, State Transportation Plan, State Development and Redevelopment Plan, and county and local plans.

Partners

The following partners in the project that will serve on the Steering Committee (discussed in the Major Tasks section of this proposal):

North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority - project sponsor

New Jersey Institute of Technology - project sponsor

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - will provide data and assistance, particularly for market analysis, identification and assessment of promising sites and case studies.

New Jersey Department of Transportation - will provide data and assistance, particularly in conducting the market analysis and assessing transportation needs.

New Jersey Office of State Planning - will provide data and assistance, particularly in assessing land use issues, coordinating the project with efforts of the state-level Brownfields Team and compiling information obtained into the statewide GIS Brownfields database.

Port Authority of New York & New Jersey - will provide data and assistance particularly in conducting the market analysis and assessing transportation needs.

New Jersey Commerce & Economic Growth Commission - will provide data and assistance, particularly on economic development issues.

As discussed in the Major Tasks: Steering/Advisory Committee section the project advisory committee will include a variety of agencies, regional stakeholders and non-traditional organizations. A number of these participants have committed to fulfilling specific roles, either through in kind contributions or on a per-fee basis. They are as follows:

New Jersey State Employment and Training Commission - will convene local Workforce Investment Boards to implement regional human resource planning for individuals within reasonable commuting distance of targeted brownfield sites. The regional plans would deal with education and training programs for all citizens who may participate in the freight industry workforce.

New Jersey Alliance for Action (a statewide organization representing business and labor) - will provide assistance in outreach to freight related businesses.

Tri-State Transportation Campaign (an environmental organization) - will provide perspective on environmental issues and assistance in outreach to communities.

In addition to these partners, letters of support expressing interest in participation in the project have been received from the following: mayors of the cities of Elizabeth, Linden, and Newark; PSE&G, the energy utility company; Maher Terminals, Inc, a major port tenant and employer; Lucent Technologies, a division of Bell Labs and an intermodal client; and the Victoria Foundation, a philanthropic agency. Others are expected to join the project.

Schedule

The table above illustrates the timelines of major project tasks. Key project milestones, with start and completion dates, are also described in the MAJOR TASKS section of this proposal. The project is envisioned to take approximately 21 months to complete. Some project tasks are expected to run concurrently, others will overlap, while other tasks can only begin when substantial amounts of information are available from previous research. The activities of Steering and Advisory committees, and Project Evaluation and documentation will continue throughout the duration of the project. Public and Community outreach will likewise continue throughout much of the project, with certain periods of peak activity to be scheduled around the project phases of Evaluation and Determination of Promising Sites, Case Studies, and the presentation of our Action Plan.

BUDGET AND RESOURCES

The budget and its narrative are included in the Appendix following the main portion of this project proposal.

EVALUATION

The tables below provide, in summary form, the significant process, product and outcome goals and performance measures that will be used to evaluate the grant. These evaluation elements will be refined with the help of an independent evaluation consultant at the beginning of the grant period. An administrative assistant will be assigned to compile and maintain information needed for evaluation of activities throughout the grant period. A final evaluation report will be prepared.

A.Summary of Process Goals and Performance Measures

 B.Summary of Product Goals and Performance Measures

C.Summary of Outcome Goals and Performance Measures

Some outcomes resulting from this planning grant -- e.g. businesses locating in brownfield sites - will likely occur after the grant period. As a result, the Outcomes table below includes Interim Performance Measures, which indicate trends towards the achievement of the desired outcomes.

APPENDIX A

Budget Narrative

The Budget Narrative details the expenses in each of the categories listed in the detailed budget:

Personnel

John Hummer is the Principal Investigator for the project. He is a senior professional staff member of the NJTPA specializing in freight. In addition to major contributions to Tasks A, B, C, E, H & I, the Principal Investigator will give overall guidance and direction to the entire project personnel and consultants. As can be seen in the detailed budget, the Project Specialist will be full-time and will assist the P.I. with the overall management of the program. In addition, the P.I. will be assisted by a Research Associate (25%) and five other staff members of NJTPA who will serve as subcontract monitors and assist with the work on Tasks C, D, E, F, G, H, & I. Further, the NJTPA's professional graphic designer will design and oversee the development of all reports, especially the final report. Gary Thomas will assist with overall project monitoring as well as work on project Tasks I & J. He is a professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering and served as Provost of NJIT for nineteen years. Gerald McKenna, Director of Technology Transfer at NJIT's Center for Environmental Engineering & Science (CEES), will assist with subcontract monitoring and Task D. Dr. McKenna, a former assistant director of EPA Region II, specializes in brownfields redevelopment. In addition to the people funded directly by FHWA support, Joel Wiener, Executive Director of North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority and Lou Pignataro, Executive Director of the Institute for Transportation will provide guidance and advice. The depth of the resources and experience of the staff of the NJTPA and IT will contribute to the overall success of the project and to specific Tasks. The staff will also be available to help accomplish Tasks that fall behind schedule or that were unanticipated.

It is estimated that the partners in this program will contribute a total of $240,000 of in-kind personnel over the 21 months of the program. This represents approximately one man-year of effort per year. The personnel contributions will be for the following activities: a) gathering and analysis of data under the control of the various partner agencies; b) serving on advisory committee; c) hosting meetings and conferences; d) preparing special training programs for limited skills workers for freight-related jobs; e) providing expert advice on the validity and usefulness of consultant's work product; f) conducting public outreach; g) integrating information gathered into the state brownfield GIS database; and h.) providing overall guidance for the program. The complete list of partners is listed in the Partners section of the proposal.

Travel

The travel budget includes travel to Washington D.C. to participate in the Transportation and Community and System Preservation meetings and local travel as part of the various tasks and the monitoring of the consultants who will be performing major components of several of the Tasks.

Equipment

The purchase of 4 computers and software will be necessary for the personnel that will be added to the existing team to conduct the Tasks and monitoring of the subcontracts.

Supplies

The major expense in the Supplies Budget is for the publication of interim and final reports. In addition, this budget will cover the expenses associated with meetings and conferences.

Contracts

There will be four major subcontracts for parts of the Market Analysis; Environmental Scan; Evaluate, Document and Determine Promising Brownfield Sites; Case Studies; Transportation and Community Action Plan; and the Evaluation. However, it is essential that the project personnel be significantly involved in each of the Tasks, especially those that synthesize information and draw conclusions. The personnel in the project will be the ones who provide continuity and the reservoir of knowledge after the project is successfully completed. Nevertheless, to accomplish the project in twenty-one months it will require a significant expansion of available personnel who will not be continued after its completion. Two of these subcontracts will be major contracts and will require a substantial effort of NJTPA and NJIT personnel to monitor these subcontracts. The project team will be assisted with Public/Community Outreach by at least one consultant. Finally, even though much of the evaluation will be done during the conduct of the project, it is essential that an independent consultant do the final summative evaluation.

Other

The major expense in the Other category is to cover unexpected expenses.

APPENDIX C

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