From the Brooklyn Paper:A group of Williamsburg residents are incensed that work on a new 15-story housing tower on the corner of Broadway and Kent Avenue will begin construction even though a six-year-old toxic spill underneath the site has not been fully cleaned up.
“There are dozens of stalled projects in Williamsburg, more than in any part of the city, so what’s the urgency of putting this building up?” asked Williamsburg resident Bill Storandt. “Why can’t they just clean up the site as the law requires?”
The project, financed by L+M Development Partners and Goldman Sachs, would consist of 160 units, 80 percent of which will be priced at below-market rates, revitalizing a stalled site where plans to construct a $70-million luxury hotel fizzled in 2007.
But the site contains a toxic oil spill and other contaminants — its legacy as a former gas station a decade ago — and state officials confirmed that it currently does not meet environmental standards.
A spokesman for the owner acknowledged the existing oil spill reported to the state and that the owner plans to address the spill “in connection with current construction activities” and in accordance with the state’s requirements.
But Wren said that the developer has not submitted a required work plan detailing its clean-up efforts — which must be sent in before construction begins on the site.
And neighbors remain nervous that the developer’s plan to include a supermarket on the ground floor of the building will put food products close to the pollution.
Gates Cooperative
“They’re going to put a food in the first floor where there was contamination and probably store food in the basement?” said Mendoza. “That’s a concern for us.”
2 comments:
Oil's well that ends well!
Across the Pulaski from Williamsburg, on 11th street in Queens there are at least 4 new "luxury" condos that were built on top of contaminated gas stations that were never cleaned up and now there are unsuspecting out of town millionaires living in them. There is even a diner called Breadbox on 11th street on an existing gas station cooking and serving food. If this was not so sad, it would be laughable.
In Bloombergland, all is well, as long as no one learns the truth.
I can see all of the law suits 20 years from now for lymphoma, birth defects, asthma, cancer, you name it, and Queens and Brooklyn will be leading the list of casualties.
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