Quick Facts
130-acre heavily contaminated dormant chemical plant on the Delaware River with wastewater lagoons and lagoon sludge
Clean-up techniques included lagoon stabilization and import of 300,000 cubic yards of processed dredge material (PDM) to cap and raise the site
Recognized by NAIOP as the 2009 New Jersey Creative Deal of the Year and by the Burlington Township Chamber of Commerce as the 2009 Economic Development Project of the Year
Transaction
Land (acres)
130
Project Outcome
1.7 msf Class A warehouse park
Seller/Responsible Party
Hercules Chemical Co. Inc.
Historical Use
Chemical manufacturing plant
Capital Partner
Clarion Partners
Buyer
Clarion Partners
Tenant(s)
H&M, American Hotel Registry, H&D Supply, NDS, TA Chen
The property was the location of a chemical plant operated by Hercules from 1947 to 1992. Products manufactured at the facility included resin products, raw materials for manufacture of polyester fabrics, herbicides, and detergent ingredients. Waste from these processes left six heavily impacted wastewater lagoons and lagoon sludge. The plant was decommissioned in 1992 and lie dormant for over 15 years until Viridian’s acquisition.
Viridian worked with Burlington Township and Burlington County to secure approvals to redevelop the blighted 130-acre property into a 1.7M square foot Class A warehouse park. The development plan consisted of 2 large cross dock buildings and 2 smaller single load buildings providing tenant flexibility on a site ideally located near the NJ Turnpike, I-95, I-295, US Highway 130 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
Viridian replaced Hercules Corporation on the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Administrative Consent Order (ACO). Viridian worked with the NJDEP as well as Burling Township and County to revise Hercules’ approved Remedial Action Work Plan (RAWP) with implementation of an integrated remediation and repositioning plan that included fixation and disposition of lagoon materials, treatment of shallow metal impacts, and removal of old manufacturing foundations. Additionally, Viridian worked with the NJDEP Office of Dredging and was one of the first sites to utilize significant quantities of PDM for fill. A major component of the original RAWP called for closure of the “sludge waste” lagoon, by filling it with large boulders and capping it with a geosynthetic liner, soil, and grass. Viridian was concerned that the large rocks would compromise the underlying containment barrier below the lagoon, potentially impacting ground water and, ultimately, the Delaware River. Viridian’s contractors developed a one-of-a-kind stabilization additive to stabilize the lagoon sludge, without using material that could damage the containment barrier. The site was demolished and remediated while utilizing 300,000 cubic yards of PDM for building pads. The site was graded to a “pad ready condition” and delivered with an NJDEP soils no further action letter to Clarion for vertical development. Due to the remedial work and the impermeable cap created by the import of PDM, the site also achieved groundwater closure within 3 years of the pad ready work being completed.
