By Carla Zanoni
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
INWOOD — Testing at a contaminated site in Upper Manhattan is expected to begin this spring, according to a letter sent to Community Board 12 by the state’s Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).
A slew of environmental tests must be completed before a developer can move forward with a plan to turn 4566 Broadway into a two-story commercial building with underground parking.
The developer is charged with conducting those tests at the former 1960s gas station-turned-parking-lot in 2005, because the site was deemed "contaminated and abandoned" otherwise known as a "Brownfield" by the DEH.
Members of CB12 sent a letter voicing concerns about the testing to the DEC on Jan. 25 asking that the scope of analysis be broadened to include several areas of concern, including nearby schools, a senior center, nursery and day care facilities and apartment buildings nearby.
Residents and the board are concerned construction there will create health risks to those who live and work in the adjacent area.
According to Isaiah Bing, assistant chair for CB12’s Health & Environment Committee, contamination from the soil and ground water on the property has migrated to several buildings near the site as well as the playground that abuts the property.
The DEC and DOH indicated in its Feb. 14 letter that testing will be broadened if preliminary results indicate a spread of contaminants outside of the site.
The state agencies also informed CB12 that the developer’s environmental inspectors will make every attempt to document informing residents and building owners of testing in advance, although they did not agree to extend notification from five days in advance to 30.
The two agencies stated that such a delay would jeopardize some of the gas testing, which must be concluded during the heating season.
CB12’s Health and Environment committee plans to discuss the letter and next steps at its next meeting on Thursday at 711 West 168th Street.
