Orange County IDA updates pipeline, revises UTEP and readies brownfields assessments

Bill Fiorante, chief executive officer of the Orange County Industrial Development Agency, told county officials on July 17 that the agency is advancing a number of economic-development applications, has adopted an updated Uniform Tax Exemption Policy and will begin EPA-funded brownfields assessments this summer. “We received a $500,000 grant from the EPA to assess contaminated properties around the county,” Fiorante said.

The UTEP, the standard local policy that guides IDA incentives, now lists priority industries including advanced manufacturing, life sciences and biotech, Fiorante said. The policy also includes a 15-year pilot option for housing projects and a separate “jobs cap” category that makes projects creating more than 100 permanent jobs eligible for a 20‑year pilot. Fiorante said the Amazon-related Scannell project had been eligible under that jobs category but is currently on hold after an unsuccessful local zoning board variance for building height.

Why it matters: The IDA’s policy defines how the agency can offer tax-exemption pilots that reduce property tax payments for developers in exchange for job and investment commitments. Changes in the UTEP shift the length and conditions of incentives for housing and large job‑creating projects and could affect where developers decide to locate in the county.

Most immediate items

Fiorante described a new relocation proposal from Balkan Corporation, a long‑established local manufacturer, which intends to build a new more than 100,000‑square‑foot facility in the town of Walpole to retain 36 jobs and add about four new positions. Fiorante said the IDA held a public hearing on that application on July 17 and the board will consider it at an August 6 meeting. He also said a proposed 93‑room Holiday Inn Express in New Windsor — an application from Banta Hospitality — lacks a current environmental review, which the IDA must have before granting incentives.

The larger Scannell/Amazon project remains on hold after the applicant failed to win a height variance from the Wawayanda Zoning Board of Appeals, Fiorante said, adding the firm is “assessing their options.” Fiorante said the project had been under consideration for the IDA’s 20‑year job‑creation pilot because of plans to create more than 100 jobs.

Brownfields and site preparation

Fiorante said the EPA brownfields grant will fund Phase 1 and Phase 2 environmental assessments for properties the agency has inventoried; he said the team identified “more than 60 brownfields. I think the number was 66 around the county.” He said the IDA and partners have prioritized five sites to begin assessments and that property owners have signed access agreements to allow on‑site work.

Fiorante framed the grant as complementary to the IDA’s “shovel‑ready” initiative, intended to bring contaminated properties back into use so they can attract investment once assessments — and, later, remediation — are complete.

UTEP details and compliance

Fiorante said the revised UTEP includes the statutory schedule of abatement percentages and a standalone recapture policy that allows the IDA to reclaim incentives if applicants do not meet obligations. “If companies don’t … fulfill their obligations … we have an obligation to take back all or part of those incentives,” he said. Fiorante also noted the IDA is working with taxing jurisdictions on a project in Goshen that currently is not bank‑compliant and requires rectification before incentives or a closing can proceed.

Board oversight and state reporting

When asked about reporting to the state authority budget office, Fiorante said the IDA has been timely with reports and that state reviewers have made recommendations but found the agency’s procedures compliant. “The feedback has been 100% positive,” he said.

What the board did

No votes or incentive approvals were recorded at the briefing. Fiorante said several items — including the Balkan Corporation application — are scheduled for board consideration at an upcoming meeting on Aug. 6. Other items, such as the Scannell/Amazon proposal and the Banta Hospitality application, were described as on hold pending local approvals or required environmental determinations.

Ending

Fiorante closed by noting the agency continues to discuss leads in pharmaceuticals, tourism and housing and that the revised UTEP will be circulated electronically to the members. “I’ll send it to you as soon as I get back to the office,” he told the officials.