May 30, 2009 — NEWARK, N.J. (May 29, 2009) – The Northern New Jersey District Council of the Urban Land Institute (ULI-NNJ) along with 11 other companies and organizations, including the New Jersey chapter of the Society of Women Environmental Professionals (SWEP) will sponsor an all-day workshop on brownfields entitled, “Northeast Sustainable Community Workshop,” which will take place in Newark on June 18 at The New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT).
Stakeholder perspectives including real estate finance, government at all levels, corporations, community representatives and consultants who provide a range of technical expertise will participate in interactive sessions that focus on best practices and the challenges to their implementation.
ULI is a worldwide organization that provides leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities by bringing together leaders to exchange best practices. ULI is comprised of developers, builders, property owners, investors, architects, public officials, planners, real estate brokers, appraisers, attorneys, engineers, financiers, academics, students and librarians.
“The workshop will not simply add ‘sustainability’ to the list of issues related to brownfields, but will look deeply at the interconnections and confluences that make for creating sustainable communities through brownfield redevelopment,” said Susan Boyle, senior environmental practice leader at GEI Consultants, vice chair of programs for ULI-NNJ and a panel moderator at the event. “In doing so, the program will focus on the restoration and long-term stewardship, planning, redevelopment and policy of brownfields.”
Topics will include multi-stakeholder initiatives for sustainable brownfields redevelopment; brownfields and climate change; communities as brownfield developers; regionalism, smart growth and brownfields; sustainable approaches to assessment and remediation of brownfields sites; green development on brownfields; sustainable approaches to restoration of water systems; using brownfields to create self-sufficient neighborhoods; and public and private partnerships for sustainability.
The all-day workshop will begin with the welcome and introduction by Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker. Following Booker’s remarks there will be two morning plenary sessions, three morning workshops, a luncheon address, three afternoon workshops and an afternoon plenary session, which will conclude the program. A reception will immediately follow the program.
Moderators include Colleen Kokas, bureau chief for the Office of Brownfield Reuse, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP); Elizabeth Barton, Esq., partner, Day Pitney LLP; Lee Ilan, chief of planning, New York City Mayor's Office of Environmental Remediation; Tracey Vernon, brownfield action team director, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP); Robert Santy, president, Connecticut Economic Resource Center; Gary Rozmus, vice president, Gannett-Fleming; Anna Willett, director, Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council; Mark N. Mauriello, acting commissioner, NJDEP; Barry Hersh, associate clinical professor, New York University’s Schack Institute of Real Estate; Lawrence P. Schnapf, Esq., Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP; Susan Boyle, senior environmental practice leader, GEI Consultants; Michael Taylor, president, Vita Nuova LLC; Chelsea Albucher, sustainability director, City of Newark; Rick Gimello, vice president and senior consultant, WCD Capital Partners; and Anthony Slimowicz, director, WCD Capital Partners.
Other sponsors include the NJDEP; PADEP; DuPont; New York City Mayor's Office of Environmental Remediation, Capital chapter; Society of Women Environmental Professionals, Inc., Greater Philadelphia chapter; Society of Women Environmental Professionals, Inc., New Jersey chapter; Society of Women Environmental Professionals, Inc.; the Connecticut Society For Women Environmental Professionals Inc.; Connecticut Economic Resource Center Inc.; New York City Partnership of Brownfields Practitioners and the New York City Office of Environmental Remediation.
The “Northeast Sustainable Communities Workshop” is approved for eight Certification Maintenance (CM) credits by the American Planning Association. Members of the AICP can register to receive CM credit for the workshop at planning.org.
The event will be held at the New Jersey Institute of Technology located in Newark, N.J., from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with a 7:45 a.m. registration and a 4:30 p.m. reception. For more information or to register, visit the event Web site at nscw.net. Before June 1 the cost is $135 and $50 for government and non-profit practitioners; after June 1, the cost is $175 and $75 for government and non-profit practitioners. Media are welcome to attend free of charge, but must RSVP to Jason Heller at jheller@beckermanpr.com.
About the Urban Land Institute
The Urban Land Institute is a non-profit education and research institute that is supported and directed by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the institute today has over 34,000 members and associates representing the entire spectrum of the land use and development disciplines. It is comprised of developers, builders, property owners, investors, architects, public officials, planners, real estate brokers, appraisers, attorneys, engineers, financiers, academics, students and librarians.
