Awards:

  • 2016 ACEC Diamond Award for Engineering Excellence
  • 2016 ACEC National Recognition Award for Engineering Excellence
  • 2016 New York City Brownfield Cleanup Award for Environmental Protection, NYC
  • 2016 Big Apple Brownfield Award

Challenge


GZA provided environmental design and remediation services for the transformation of an historic landfill on a 10.6-acre peninsula in Lower New York Bay. In the 1970s, a prior owner legally landfilled the peninsula and the peninsula expanded further into the Bay. Prior to redevelopment the Site was a bus garage and maintenance facility with 19 underground storage tanks (USTs). Since the peninsula is within the Coastal Erosion Hazard Area, Superstorm Sandy inundated the Site during the ongoing shoreline stabilization efforts that were part of construction. The redevelopment project required regulatory coordination for both Environmental Restrictive Declarations and E-Designation requirements for Hazardous Materials established under the City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) and administered by the New York City Office of Environmental Remediation (NYCOER) and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) Division of Materials Management (DMM).

Solution


Paramount to the success of this project was a Beneficial Use Determination (BUD) approval allowing the Developer to process solid waste resulting in a “cut and fill” project. Prior to solid waste excavation, screening, and processing, GZA managed the careful removal and remediation of 6,000 cubic yards (CY) of significantly impacted solid waste from 17 “hot-spot” areas. GZA petitioned the NYSDEC to modify the BUD and allow the on-Site crushing and recycling of concrete.

The engineering controls designed by GZA for the newly constructed building include passive methane and hydrogen sulfide monitoring systems, and a passive sub-slab depressurization system (SSDS) that had the ability to turned into an active SSDS, if necessary. Additional engineering controls include a composite cover system with a chemical vapor barrier, comprising building and parking garage foundations, sidewalks, and asphalt/concrete pavement.

GZA prepared and submitted a Final Report and obtained agency approval allowing the Developer to secure a temporary certificate of occupancy (CO) and open the Site and retail building to the public before issuance of a final CO.

Benefit


The project revitalized a dilapidated peninsula into an alluring retail center featuring a park and waterfront esplanade on Lower New York Bay. Moreover, the project incorporated engineering controls into the building and Site development to create a sustainable waterfront retail destination that is protective of human health and the environment.

In all, about 11,500 CY of processed solid waste were beneficially reused, and over 10,000 CY of concrete were recycled from the western plateau to build up the low-lying eastern part of the Site, resulting in a net savings of about $750K in disposal costs to the Developer.

Project highlights included a public waterfront esplanade/park; shoreline restoration following Superstorm Sandy; Site stabilization with riprap/gabion structures; one of the first post-Sandy coastal resiliency projects; beneficial reuse of solid waste/recycled concrete; remediation of 17 hot-spots; closure of 19 underground tanks; characterization and disposal of excess material; Community Air-Monitoring Program (CAMP); and design and installation of engineering controls.

GZA continues to perform Periodic Review Reports (PRR) for submission to NYCOER and NYSDEC as required by the approved Site management Plan (SMP).