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Special West Chelsea District Sites

New York City, New York

Roux Associates has performed a wide variety of environmental consulting services for over a dozen properties both within and surrounding a former manufactured gas plant (MGP) site in the Special West Chelsea District of Manhattan. The re-zoning of the 20-block district allows for residential and commercial development mixed with neighborhood art galleries and the High Line City Park. Our clients for these Brownfields redevelopment projects have included developers, attorneys, and financial lending institutions and partnerships. The services include those outlined below:

  • Numerous Phase I environmental site assessments, Phase II soil and groundwater investigations involving the collection and analysis of soil and groundwater samples to delineate subsurface impacted areas of concern, and preparing remedial action plans to address the areas of concern in anticipation of future residential property usage in accordance with NYCDEP City Environmental Quality Review Declaration ("E" Designation). Environmental quality review addresses hazardous materials, noise and air quality.
  • Underground storage tank investigations, including ground penetrating radar surveys to locate and confirm the presence of USTs, excavation and disposal of USTs and impacted soil, and obtaining regulatory closure from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) in the form of No Further Actions letters;
  • For Sites that represented a more significant environmental concern (e.g., MGP gas holder sites), Roux Associates and our associated firm, Remedial Engineering, P.C., prepared Remedial Action Work Plans and Final Engineering Reports for NYSDEC approval.
  • Support and guidance to clients in eliminating the "E" designation from their properties by preparing environmental reports and submitting them to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Environmental Planning and Assessment pursuant to Section 11-15 of the Zoning Resolution of the City of New York.
  • Support and guidance to clients with regard to negotiating entrance into the Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP) with the NYSDEC.

As part of our involvement in the Chelsea Brownfields redevelopment projects, we also provided environmental consulting and regulatory compliance support to clients in the foundation construction and construction management industries. Often construction management firms assume responsibility for the environmental remediation involved in a "brownfields" redevelopment project as part of the construction contract. Roux Associates has been retained by several of the nation's largest construction companies to serve as a member of project construction teams.