GREAT BARRINGTON — The developer of the 100 Bridge Street mixed-use development insists that the chemical contamination on the site does not pose a threat to Sheffield’s water supply and says the organization is still looking for a commercial developer for the northern end of the site.
The Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire, which has owned the site and is developing an affordable housing complex on it, gave a status update on the complicated project on Tuesday, Feb. 2, via Zoom.
There were rumors circulating earlier in the day that the CDC and its engineering team had found additional sources of contamination and that they would be disclosed at the meeting, but CDC Executive Director Allison Marchese threw cold water on that speculation.
“I think there might have been various emails today about the content of this report tonight, but there are no new findings,” said Marchese. “This is a status report of the continuing work and milestones.”
See Edge video below (via Zoom) of the Feb. 2 public meeting held by the CDC on its 100 Bridge Street project:
Others were concerned about the lack of publicity for the meeting and the fact that it required a relatively complicated in-advance sign-up process in order to attend. Marchese explained that the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), which has regulated the project from its inception, advised CDC to use a more secure system because of the proliferation of hackers who vandalize online meetings — a procedure known as “Zoom bombing.”
Marchese said DEP told her the procedure was consistent with the state’s open meeting laws. For this meeting, live comments from attendees were only permitted through the Zoom chat function. Statements could also be received via email during the 20-day comment period.
Marchese introduced two experts from Ransom, a consulting and engineering group based in Byfield, Mass.: project manager Nancy Marshall and Tim Snay, the licensed site professional.
The material covered during the presentation (supporting documents, files, and a draft partial temporary solutions statement) can be found here in detail and in its entirety. The Ransom team, along with Marchese and CDC board member and volunteer project manager Jim Harwood, gave an overview through a PowerPoint presentation. Click here to see it.
The project, which has been in the making for more than 10 years, calls for almost four dozen new affordable apartments for families with incomes of up to approximately $53,000, just east of downtown on the eastern bank of the Housatonic River.
The 45 apartments include 12 one-bedroom units, 22 two-bedroom units, and 11 three-bedroom units. All have universal wheelchair access. The project also includes a one-acre restored riverfront walk along the Housatonic River. The CDC is the co-sponsor and developer. The managing agent will be the Berkshire Housing Development Corporation.
Marshall said the site presented numerous challenges to developers: there were dioxins in the surface soils across all eight acres of the property, with isolated areas of deeper impacts; there is pentachloropehnol (PCPs) in the groundwater; and there are floodplain restrictions on the property because of its proximity to the river.
The goal was to develop the property for affordable housing, public open space, and other commercial development at the northern end abutting Bridge Street. A remedy implementation plan (RIP) was presented to DEP in 2019 and approved later that year.
There were questions from the audience about a portion of the site that is located within the geographical boundaries of the Sheffield well field zone 2, which supplies drinking water to the town of Sheffield. That means CDC must meet the drinking water standards.
Snay said the technology to remediate PCPs in groundwater does not yet exist. But CDC will be required to submit a temporary solution evaluation to the DEP that must address the question of whether technology has changed for treating PCPs in groundwater.
“At the moment there is no technology available, and every five years we will reevaluate that,” said Harwood.
“It may gradually clean itself up through dilution,” added Snay. “They’re very stable chemicals and they don’t move very much.”
Marshall added that Ransom has sampled water at the spot in question right at the river’s edge and “found no PCPs whatsoever.”
Another attendee asked whether there were plans to monitor occupants of the apartments themselves for exposure to possible contamination. Snay said the contaminated soil was placed under secure berm barriers.
“Given the thickness of some of the fill that was brought in, the presence of the buildings themselves, the pavement sections, the chemical nature of the dioxins, there’s no reason to suspect that there will be any exposure to future occupants,” Snay explained. “Our number-one objective was preventing exposure to these contaminated soils.”
“It meets all of the DEP’s risk criteria for residents,” added Marshall.
The site has a long and controversial history. In 2016, the CDC received the go-ahead from the Zoning Board of Appeals to build the 45 affordable housing units. Eventually, the then-$40 million project was expected to add a mix of market-rate residential units and retail space.
The 100 Bridge Street location is the former site of the New England Log Homes factory, which used chemicals to treat wood for log cabins and homes there. The company closed in 1994 and what was left of the factory burned in a fire in 2001.
The CDC purchased the polluted property in 2007 and the charred factory ruins were demolished and removed some four years later. It should be noted that the property had been used for industrial purposes even before New England Log Homes started its operations there.
In 2014, under the leadership of former executive director Tim Geller, CDC began to remediate the site using a process known as bioremediation, but the DEP put a stop-work order on the operation after neighbors complained about the odor during a summer of heavy rains. Eventually the department shut down the process altogether, leaving CDC to come up with another strategy to deal with the PCPs and dioxins left by the log homes company.
Removal and disposal of the contaminated soils proved prohibitively expensive, so CDC’s ultimate plan, which was accepted by DEP, was to remove the toxic soil and pile it up on three separate berms on the property. The contaminated soil will be covered with a hard protective layer that includes Geofabric. Clean soil will then be added over the top and vegetation planted.
Construction is at an advanced stage on the three buildings, which are known as the Bentley Apartments, and will likely be available in May 2021. A one-bedroom unit rents for $709 per month; two bedrooms at $844; and three bedrooms at $1,061. The buildings are at the southern end of the property abutting the town wastewater treatment plant.
Parking and hot water are included in the rent. Tenants pay for electricity, heat, and air-conditioning. Some units are fully accessible for those with physical disabilities. Income cannot exceed: $35,880 for one person; $41,040 for two persons; $46,140 for three persons; and $51,240 for four persons.
A lottery will be held at a future date. In order to be considered for this lottery, applications must be returned to the main office of Berkshire Housing on or before Feb. 28, 2021. CDC says preference is given to applicants who work, live, or have children in school in Great Barrington. To apply electronically, click here. To download an application, click here. To have an application mailed to you, call 413-499-1630, Ext. 150 or email leasing@berkshirehousing.com.
