Regionally Significant Project Criteria
For Businesses Located Outside of the Empire Zone
Regionally Significant Projects
To be eligible for certification in the Nassau County Empire Zone, a business must be located within Empire Zone boundaries which are limited to two square miles, or qualify as a Regionally Significant Project. Businesses that qualify as a Regionally Significant Project can be located anywhere in Nassau County outside of the Empire Zone boundaries and still participate in the program. Below are the minimum statewide criteria that define Regionally Significant Projects. Consult the Nassau County Empire Zone Coordinator to discuss your location, eligibility and the process necessary to qualify as a Regionally Significant Project.
A Regionally Significant Project is defined as:
- A Manufacturer creating 50 or more net new jobs to NYS over a 3-year period
- An agri-business, high tech or biotech business making a minimum capital investment of $10 million and creating 20 or more jobs.
- A financial or insurance services businesses or a distribution center creating 300 or more jobs
Further, to be eligible as a regionally significant project, a business must export a substantial portion of its products or services outside of the State AND at least sixty percent of the business' product/service is, or will be, sold, delivered or provided to customers/clients that are outside of the metropolitan statistical area, which for the Nassau County Empire Zone is outside of Nassau and Suffolk counties combined.
The approval process for a Regionally Significant Project can take six to nine months and is a three-step process that requires at a minimum: the completion and approval of one of the following applications, a local law from the county Legislature and the approval of an EZ-1 Application for Certification and EZ-1 Instruction:
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