Comments
uptown_gargoyle t1_iwusm5m wrote
>They anticipate about 19,000 people will eventually work in the district.
This is exciting, but I'm feeling skeptical about their ability to actually remediate the pollution/toxic waste enough that it's safe to spend 40 hours a week there.
But I don't know anything about environmental remediation so I could be wrong to feel that way.
donttouchthirdrail t1_iwuvlxv wrote
This is one of the rare situations where making someone do an EIR before construction is a good idea.
ten-million t1_iwuw3e9 wrote
That is a prime bit of land. Someone who worked there said if you dig down the dirt was purple.
GeorgeLuasHasNoChin t1_iwuwi31 wrote
Purples a fruit.
SpauldingSmails18 t1_iwv3ya2 wrote
The good news is that there are multiple governmental agencies that regulate such development to ensure public safety /s
electric_ranger t1_iwv8m2c wrote
You couldn’t possibly pay me enough to live there.
Dryheavemorning t1_iwv956s wrote
I don't think they'll let you live in the warehouses planned for the site regardless.
cerialthriller t1_iwv97c1 wrote
Pretty sure nobody would want to live in the industrial warehouses they are putting there
DarthBerry t1_iwvdorz wrote
this is sorta Hilco's specialty. I have no doubt it'll be safe enough but there's probably a reason there's no housing on the site and it's solely industrial/commercial
deep_blue003v t1_iwve0j5 wrote
That was me. Worked there for many years. There is absolutely no way that land can be properly cleaned up to the point where it is safe for humans to occupy. I feel bad for any contractors/workers who are tasked with excavating and building on land in that zone and for any people who may end up living/working there in the future.
Extreme_Succotash784 t1_iwvjd0o wrote
But blue has the most antioxygens.
donttouchthirdrail t1_iwvope7 wrote
It's mostly gonna be warehouses, with some biomedical labs. Not a place you'll wanna hang out.
all_akimbo t1_iwvuvxc wrote
What can be done with a place like that? I’m asking in earnest, what has been done with similar places? Do they just do a Chernobyl and seal it off to people?
JediDrkKnight t1_iwvvdi4 wrote
If this land can be safely and reliably cleaned up, then it definitely has potential, but unless it's also integrated into the city's transit, it's just going to become another hostile, autocentric, and underutilized space in Philly.
AbsentEmpire t1_iwvwcln wrote
The whole area is a super fund site, unless they build the park over a slab of concrete capping all that under it, probably don't want to be spending time there for a while.
baldude69 t1_iwvwxfd wrote
Doesn’t mean they couldn’t put a couple small waterfront parks. From the article they suggest this will “boost public access to the Schuylkill”
AbsentEmpire t1_iwvwygq wrote
Dig up as much of the contaminated soil as possible, then cap it with a massive slab of concrete.
Unfortunately this site is fucked for generations to come, it was a refinery site for 100 years.
baldude69 t1_iwvx2gv wrote
Isn’t the extensive remediation they’re doing there supposed to address that? Sounds like they’re literally sucking toxins out of the soil
verisimilitude_mood t1_iwvy1nq wrote
As someone who knows a bit about environmental remediation, the cleanup will take decades, but it will be safe enough for people to exist there in relatively little time. They'll likely install a vapor barrier, and an asphalt cap to isolate the contamination and prevent interaction with the contaminated soils, then cover that will clean fill and vegetation. There will also be environmental covenants to limit the use of the land until the site is clean. If you want more info about capping, the EPA has a guide.
https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-04/documents/a_citizens_guide_to_capping.pdf
AbsentEmpire t1_iwwoyjm wrote
It's certainly going to help, but people won't be able to live at the site for a long long time. There's concern that the contamination goes so deep it could contaminate the aquifer.
SpauldingSmails18 t1_iwwwh94 wrote
Nothing you said is wrong, but we cannot expect flawless execution of the cap
deep_blue003v t1_iwx6jk3 wrote
That's what should be done, but unfortunately it won't. The developers will most likely require any businesses or residents of the future projects to sign an agreement waiving legal rights in the event that they are exposed to toxic substances and become sick. This was the case at Sienna Place, a residential development build directly across from the refinery on 26th street. The people who bought homes there have no legal protection from the fact they bought on the contaminated land.
baldude69 t1_iwyzbo7 wrote
Yea I read some about the stuff they were encountering back when they started working on this. Evidence that they had literally been dumping thousand and thousands of gallons of gasoline into the soil back in the 19th century when gasoline was just considered a waste byproduct
[deleted] t1_iwz3f7a wrote
FordMaverickFan t1_ix008jt wrote
Can you link the superfund entry? I searched but couldn’t find it.
https://www.epa.gov/superfund/search-superfund-sites-where-you-live
[deleted] t1_ix0iaxh wrote
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[deleted] t1_ix1poik wrote
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baldude69 t1_iwupqay wrote
Interesting, they mention bike lanes and public access to the lower Schuylkill banks. I wonder what this will look like and if it will connect to the SRT/Bartrams paths. It would be really cool to have a little park at the point, right where the Schuylkill meets the Delaware