Economic Impact on Delaware’s Economy: The Brownfield Program 2025

Abstract

The Center for Applied Demography & Survey Research at the University of Delaware conducted this research to measure the economic impact of Delaware’s Brownfield Development Program (BDP). Delaware defines brownfields as “any vacant, abandoned or underutilized real property the development or redevelopment of which is hindered by the reasonably held belief that the real property may be environmentally contaminated.” The BDP encourages the remediation and private development on these sites with the assistance of the state. This study looks at 3 economic indicators: the value of the land and improvements to the brownfield site as judged by the assessed value, the amount of assessment taxes that were received from sites, and the employment and associated wages and tax revenues at the sites. We compare those to when the site was either certified or when remediation was complete. Economic modeling estimates the impacts of added employment, as more employment induces other employment and services within the state. A section discussing specific sites describes what is expected in the future.