Brownfield Carry Cost Calculator

Brownfield remediation can take years of carry before shovel turns.

Land cost

Remediation cost

Remediation months

Annual carry rate %

Brownfield credit

Net brownfield cost

$2,000,000

Land carry cost

$600,000

Gross remediation + land carry

$2,400,000

How the math works

Land carry = land × rate × (months/12). Gross = remediation + carry. Net = gross − credits.

$4M × 10% × 1.5 = $600k carry + $1.8M remediation = $2.4M gross − $400k credit = $2M net.

How to Use

Enter land acquisition cost.
Enter remediation cost.
Enter remediation months.
Enter monthly carry rate %.
Enter brownfield credit available.
Read net brownfield carry.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's a brownfield?

Land with known or suspected environmental contamination from prior use — typically industrial (chemical, petroleum, manufacturing), gas station, dry cleaner, landfill, abandoned railroad right-of-way. EPA catalogs 450,000+ brownfields in US. Federal/state programs incentivize cleanup via liability protection, grants, and tax credits. Brownfield redevelopment has dramatically transformed urban cores — High Line in NYC, Chicago's South Works, Boston's Seaport were all brownfields.

Typical remediation cost?

Varies 10x by contamination type. Petroleum (UST removal): $50k-500k. Heavy metals (arsenic, lead): $200k-2M. Chlorinated solvents (dry cleaner): $500k-5M. PCBs (transformer): $1M-10M. Radiation: can run $20M+. Remediation typically 10-40% of land value but adds 40-200% to land value once cleaned and liability-released. Due diligence Phase I / Phase II environmental critical before purchase.

Remediation timeline?

Phase I (document review): 2-8 weeks. Phase II (sampling + lab): 8-16 weeks. Remediation plan approval: 3-12 months. Active remediation (dig+haul, pump+treat, in-situ): 6-36 months. Post-remediation monitoring: 2-10 years (background status). Get No Further Action letter from state environmental agency: 3-18 months after completion. Total: 3-7 years typically for material brownfields. Phased development can commence after initial clean but before full monitoring complete.

Brownfield credits?

Federal: 10-20% brownfield redevelopment tax credit (varies by tier), Section 198 expensing of remediation costs (up to 100% deduction). State: NY has 22% credit, NJ has 60% credit (capped), IL/IN/MI have tiered credits. Local: property tax abatement for 10-25 years. Combined credits often cover 40-70% of remediation cost — making brownfield redevelopment competitive with greenfield in many markets. File for all credits early; some have lookback periods.