Taking an old, petroleum-impacted property and transforming it into a luxury automobile dealership may sound like a developer’s daydream. And doing this with the help of state funds may sound like a fairy tale.
But that’s exactly what ERMI recently helped a client accomplish.
The story began with ERMI providing environmental consulting services to our client during the due diligence phase of a real estate transaction. Our client’s intention was to purchase and redevelop a petroleum bulk storage facility that adjoined their current luxury automobile dealership. However, that adjacent property posed a significant environmental challenge: it was the site of a petroleum discharge that had been reported to the State of Florida, which required thorough site assessment and remediation.
It might seem that this condition would have made any profitable redevelopment of the property impossible.
But following the purchase of the site, ERMI applied for Advanced Cleanup for Redevelopment (ACR) Program funding on behalf of our client. The ACR application was approved by the FDEP, enabling ERMI to begin site assessment activities using State funding. Following completion of the assessment, ERMI submitted a Remedial Action Plan to FDEP that included:
- removal of twelve 4,000-gallon underground storage tanks;
- excavation of impacted soils using engineering controls for sidewall stability;
- dewatering and effluent treatment of impacted groundwater;
- amendment of backfill material with calcium peroxide.
After completing the source removal, ERMI conducted post active remediation monitoring to ensure that no “rebound” of the petroleum contamination occurred. Once all the closure criteria were met, ERMI recommended that FDEP issue a Site Rehabilitation Completion Order (SRCO) for the previous petroleum discharge. Remedial objectives were met, ERMI completed monitoring well abandonment, and the site received a SRCO this past summer.
And now, what was once an environmentally impacted eyesore is now an impressive extension of an upscale auto dealership…giving this “oil rags to riches” story a happy ending.
As pressures on real estate growth in Florida increase every year, re-use of existing sites becomes a major priority. ERMI can often provide guidance for funding sources that could make daunting redevelopment projects practical and profitable.
So the moral of this story?
With expert assistance, even dismal brownfield properties may not be as hopeless as they seem.