ABC
The Empire State Chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors (“ABC”), representing over 450 merit-shop contractors and subcontractors employing hundreds of thousands of workers throughout the State of New York is calling on Governor Hochul to reject the proposed prevailing wage mandates on Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP) projects.
Since the early 2000s, the BCP has provided developers with much-needed incentives to remediate and revitalize environmentally contaminated sites. This program led to hundreds of contaminated sites, more than half of which are in economically disadvantaged areas to be cleaned up and developed. These developments create much-needed housing and jobs in the local communities. The legislature clearly sees the value in the program, if not it wouldn’t have been recently extended for another decade.
“Mandating prevailing wages on BCP projects will make them financially impossible for most owners/developers across the state,” said Brian Sampson, President of the Empire State Chapter of the Associated Builders & Contractors. “Prevailing wages projects cost about 28% more than non-prevailing wage projects, according to the Center for Governmental Research, prevailing wage. In addition to this study, the Empire Center for Public Policy found that construction costs are inflated by between 13 and 25% due to New York’s prevailing wage law.”
This cost increase would be added to the already expensive task of environmental remediation for these sites. Prevailing wage mandates would ensure that instead of communities and landscapes being revitalized, BCP sites remain idle and contaminated eyesores. Despite the irresponsible calls by some legislators to alter this very successful program, our members continue to do great work remediating hazardous sites and building key parts of their communities.
A recent example of this is seen in Ruby Square, a 713,000-square-foot mixed-use development in New York City’s Downtown Jamaica, Queens. The site was redeveloped under the New York State BCP; environmental remediation included the removal of 114,000 tons of contaminated soil. Without the BCP this site would’ve remained a rarely used parking lot on toxic soil.
Another BCP success story has been the 199–203 Park Club Lane Campus Expansion and Tenant Improvements. This marks a pivotal enhancement in the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center’s commitment to delivering accessible, world-class cancer care in Western New York. This new facility will increase convenience and reduce stress on some of our most vulnerable residents. This $23 million renovation wouldn’t have been possible without the current BCP.
The Williamsburg Wharf is a landmark 3.75-acre waterfront development with over 525 feet of frontage along the East River in South Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The site’s industrial past required extensive environmental remediation, which was successfully completed through the BCP. Upon completion, it will welcome over 1,000 residents and include 20,000 square feet of retail space, a new 41,000-square-foot waterfront park with a new marine bulkhead along the waterfront and a 300-foot extension of South 11th Street. This extension introduces essential site utilities such as sewers, domestic water lines, stormwater outfalls, and Con Edison vaults.
These projects represent a new start for these previously contaminated sites, allowing communities to flourish and creating jobs for members of those same communities. The BCP has an enormous impact across the state, since its inception almost 1800 projects have utilized this program. A prevailing wage mandate attached to these projects means that they won’t get done, it’s that simple.
Sampson further claims, “Maybe the legislators that push for this mandate every year don’t understand the massive negative impact this would have; or maybe they don’t care because scoring rhetorical victories is more important than the material conditions of their voters. That’s a joke to be clear, they know very well the negative impact this change would have because they specifically exempted affordable housing projects from being affected.”
The BCP has a positive impact across New York State, everything from schools, to housing, to medical facilities, it is a key factor in rebuilding. It creates jobs, opportunities and safer and better looking communities for us all to enjoy. The BCP works extremely well, but in typical Albany fashion a problem has to be invented to justify a “solution.” Governor Hochul we are calling on you to reject these foolish calls for prevailing wage mandates on BCP projects.