It’s not the biggest or flashiest of local developers, but Savarino Cos. isn’t afraid to take on and turn around some of the region’s dirtiest properties.
From Niagara County to the Southern Tier, the Buffalo-based company owned and led by Samuel J. Savarino and his brother, Robert A. Savarino, has gained a reputation for tackling brownfield cleanup and historic renovation projects that don’t attract a lot of attention from others because of their location.
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Brownfield properties are sites that have been contaminated by prior years of commercial and industrial use, with pollutants ranging from chemicals and oils to metals and slag. And with Western New York’s long manufacturing heritage, there are plenty of brownfield sites across the region.
But before they can be safely redeveloped, particularly for housing, they have to be cleaned up, often involving removal of not only the obvious pollutants but also a layer of soil, and then laying down a new layer or even a solid cover.
That’s a costly and time-consuming process. But under the state’s Brownfield Cleanup Program, developers and property owners who remediate the properties can receive tax credits that can cover up to 20% each of the qualified cleanup and new construction costs, or as much as 40%.
“It’s a great program,” said Paul Ciminelli, CEO of Ciminelli Real Estate Corp. whose past brownfield redevelopment projects includes the Conventus Building…
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