Back in January we wrote a post about the delays at 384 Bridge Street, Greg Wolpert's 450,000-square-foot project that had broken ground and then suddenly halted last summer. At the time, we referenced a sticky C of O problem at one of the properties in the footprint that threatened to shave off 90,000 square feet of buildable space from the development. Problematic but not necessarily a deal killer. Now, however, an even more serious threat has come to light, one with repercussions potentially beyond the site itself. According to a lawsuit filed by the developer, 384 Bridge Street, LLC, in State Supreme Court on April 15 against the owners RK&G Associations, LLC, the site, which formerly was leased to Bridge Cleaners, is contaminated with a dry cleaning solvent known as PCE. The contamination is alleged in the suit to have spread to the adjacent Catholic high school and another building at 141 Lawrence Street. According to the suit, the PCE was discovered last July (not long before this photo was taken) as various tanks were removed from the site as part of the construction process. This led to DOB permits being revoked in response to official notices from the Department of Environmental Conservation. Two days before the suit was filed, the site was admitted into the State's Brownfield program. The developer is seeking the $1,200,000 it has spent since work was stopped last summer plus "substantial" additional funds that will be required throughout the investigation and remediation process. Ugly.
A Wrench in 388 Bridge Street's Plans? [Brownstoner]
