The New York State Department of State (DOS) manages the Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) Program, with the overarching goal of planning and revitalizing development in zones designated as brownfields, which have been left vacant in the aftermath of environmental contamination. Historically, Family Services Network of New York (FSSNY) worked with the municipal arts societies prior to the closure of their BOA.
In 2019, the FSSNY partnered with Hester Street (HST) to revive their Bushwick BOA through strategic community engagement, in coordination with local community board leadership, the New York City Department of City Planning (DCP), the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) and other state/local representatives. Through the pandemic, our team focused on opportunity zones within specific corridors along the Bushwick industrial business zone (IBZ), leading market-analysis of the area, partnering with contractors and identifying new zones with the potential to be developed, according to community priorities. In 2021, HST completed our partnership with FSSNY, advancing them to the next stage of applying for implementation dollars to designate specific areas as BOAs within Bushwick.