Removal of underground storage tank at fire station site
Baltimore County said today in a news release that the remaining buildings on the property at York Road and Bosley Avenue will be demolished soon to make way for Caves Valley Partners’ new development.
Even though the county’s original contract for the sale of the property said the land was to be sold “as-is,” the county spent thousands of dollars to remove trees from the site and demolish a building. Both the tree removal and the fact that it was done at taxpayers’ expense angered many in the community. The trees were to remain, per a council resolution.
One of the 30 trees taken down by the county at York/Bosley
Under a revised contract with Caves Valley that the Council approved last month, the county also paid for the removal of an underground storage tank at the site in April.
But going forward, the county said, the developer will pay for the demolition.
“As empty buildings are a potential liability, Baltimore County has requested that CVP-TF, LLC demolish the buildings as soon as possible. CVP-TF, LLC has placed protective fencing around the site and a demolition permit has been obtained. Full-scale demolition is expected to start in the next few days,” the news release said. “This demolition work will be done solely at the expense of the buyer, CVP-TF, LLC, under a right of entry from Baltimore County.”
Caves Valley had originally planned to put a Royal Farms gas station at the site, but after years of protests, agreed to abandon that plan. Instead, the portion of the project that was slated to be a gas station will likely become a drive-through bank or a Chick-fil-A.
Who cares?
Great story! Who paid for the removal of the underground fuel tank and any mitigation or soil testing? These abandoned tanks have left toxins behind elsewhere, including benzene. What exactly has been found here?
This very thorough story explains the history well, including the back and forth on who would pay for the fuel tank.
http://towsonflyer.com/2018/04/16/council-narrowly-approves-sale-of-old-towson-fire-station-property/
As the county paid for removal, the mitigation and soil testing report should be public record. Baltimore County has a very checkered history with toxic chemicals– benzene is present in gasoline — at similar sites and faced high fines.
http://mde.maryland.gov/programs/Land/MarylandBrownfieldVCP/Documents/Towson%20City%20Center.pdf
A 10,,000-gallon abandoned tank is huge. Similar underground storage tanks (USTs) have garnered EPA violations, costing the county $29,000 in fines in 2008, and another $90,000 or more to monitor several tanks at former fire stations.
https://archive.epa.gov/epapages/newsroom_archive/newsreleases/00057c3268f7a6c985257490005e4070.html
I’m glad the project is moving forward. I hope a Chick-fil-a goes there!