Neighbors of an old lot targeted for a $50 million low-income housing and commercial complex were never told of the site’s 70-year history of “excessive” contamination by a dry-cleaning business, the Queens Chronicle in New York reports. Studies show that pollution could have spread as much as a quarter-mile underground, within reach of a municipal well.
The developer, an influential local church, downplays the risk of toxic vapor leaks and runoff, but has applied for “brownfield” status that would both cover cleanup expenses and limit liability.
Source:
“Toxic site eyed for housing”
Queens Chronicle (NY), February 15, 2007