Presentations from two developers that are still vying to develop the deeply contaminated Public Place site in Gowanus coming up soon, but a team from Columbia University says the site might, uh, remain toxic even after it's cleaned up. How toxic? The academics said that a cleanup would leave the site, according to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, "surrounded by riddled with volatile toxins, which give off fumes that pose health risks at any level." Developers will build 1,000 or more units of housing on the property, which used to be the site of a Manufactured Gas Plant that left toxins as far as 150 feet underground. A full clean up would cost $700 million and take 12 years, so only some of the toxic soil will be removed and, then, a "membrane" will be placed over everything that's left. Some people say pressure to develop the site could result in a less than adequate cleanup.
· Columbia Study Casts Doubt on Safety of Housing Along Gowanus [BDE]
· It's Official: Gowanus is Having a Moment [Curbed]
· Development Heavyweights Line Up for Toxic Gowanus Site [Curbed]
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