Over the last 15 years, we have worked extensively with the owner as part of their effort to clean-up, remediate, and position their 435-acre industrial property for redevelopment. Corrective actions and remediation efforts included closure of reactive waste units, geophysical and visual screening, shallow and deep groundwater monitoring and remediation, removal of contaminated soil, removal of debris, and demolition of 190 structures, many of which contained lead and asbestos. We guided the owner through site clean-up, wetland and stream restoration, master planning, rezoning, site utilities, access roads, and the building of a regional storm pond and dam.

Early planning for redevelopment included changing the use of the property from industrial to a planned mixed-use development, which included a future commuter rail station, a mix of retail and office uses, and a variety of housing options. However, with the recession of 2008, the owner’s plans quickly lost support, which would leave plans in a state of uncertainty for the next several years. Despite the downturn, the owner took on a significant risk to complete the cleanup and remediation of the property and constructed several infrastructure upgrades. These investments included a 35-acre lake with a series of upstream wetland and marsh areas, over 2,500 linear feet of stream restoration, and over 3,700 linear feet of access roads. This shift in approach would later become key to the revival of the property as the need for industrial-ready sites increased with the demand for more data centers.