Brownfields Redevelopments

Title:                 Contaminated Property Redevelopment

Client:               Fortune 100 Insurance Company

Location:          Hanscom Air Force Base, Lincoln, MA

 

·         Negotiations with Massport resulted in a significant environmental reimbursement for Wheatstone’s client, reducing the overall development costs

·         Wheatstone created an environmental strategy for the proposed redevelopment, which encompassed four existing disposal sites and two new releases discovered during construction

·         Wheatstone managed more than 9,000 cubic yards of soil shipped off-site to four separate receiving facilities, which reduced the client’s disposal costs to less than $30 per cubic yard

Wheatstone’s principal and co-founder, Jim Murphy, was designated as the client’s environmental professional early in the design phase, before the final siting of the building was completed. Based on his review of the prior environmental studies and site usage, combined with his construction experience, Jim was able to outline where contamination would be encountered during the proposed site redevelopment. The client utilized this information to select their hangar location and create a budget for the environmental costs. Mr. Murphy negotiated, on his client’s behalf, a significant reimbursement from Massport based on existing environmental conditions.

Wheatstone provided on-site observation of environmental conditions throughout construction activities to:

1.       track the handling of the encountered soils

2.       document the known four disposal sites and

3.       identify new environmental releases, which included an underground storage tank.

Wheatstone developed a soil management plan to screen and segregate soils, which resulted in a significant cost savings. The receiving off-site facilities were utilized based on the specific release area and contaminants present. Based on space restrictions, soils were pre-characterized for “load and go” operations.

The environmental cleanup qualified as a “brownfield redevelopment” under the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program. The corporate hangar is a model for future developments at Massport-owned properties.