Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell has entered into an agreement that will allow for the environmental remediation and redevelopment of a contaminated property in Everett formerly owned by Exxon Mobil at 52 Beachman Street, 51 Robin Street, 0 South Tank Farm Road and 211 Wharf Area. The renovation of this 100-acre property is expected to create a vibrant multi-use district which may include affordable, multi-family housing, industrial warehouse space, high-tech manufacturing office space, clean energy technology, retail space, and hotel uses.
The agreement, known as a Brownfields Covenant Not to Sue Agreement, will provide liability protection to Everett Landco, LLC and its owners in exchange for their commitment to clean up, remediate and redevelop the property. The scope of the agreement, in terms of both remediation and redevelopment, is the largest ever entered by the Attorney General’s Office.
The project will revitalize a parcel of property in Everett that has been contaminated from its long history of industrial uses and significantly under-utilized in recent years. It is expected to create both temporary and permanent jobs at the conclusion of the redevelopment.
“Brownfields covenants are powerful tools that provide developers and municipalities with liability protection allowing them to clean up contaminated property and subsequently develop them for community benefit,” said AG Campbell. “In Everett, this remediation and redevelopment project will create significant economic development, housing and a healthier community.”
"Cleaning up brownfields sites are a win-win for the Massachusetts economy and environment. Projects like this one provide housing, jobs, tax revenue, and importantly, a cleaner, healthier community," said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “The state can facilitate these public-private partnerships, like it did here, by providing liability protection to municipalities and developers who are taking on the task of cleaning up these blighted properties.”
“The extensive, multi-year remediation we are undertaking at this site will unlock a generational opportunity to transform this neighborhood for the benefit of Everett and the region,” said Michael Cantalupa, Chief Development Officer at Davis. “We are thrilled to have the Commonwealth’s support in this endeavor, and we look forward to continued partnership with leaders at the federal, state, and community levels in the months and years ahead.”
The AG’s Office is committed to facilitating the remediation and redevelopment of contaminated and underutilized properties throughout the Commonwealth. Brownfields Covenant Not to Sue Agreements are broadly available to municipalities and developers or prospective purchasers of contaminated properties. They provide liability relief and protections for projects contributing to the economic or physical revitalization of the community in exchange for a promise to remediate and redevelop a contaminated site. The proposed redevelopment project must create either new jobs, affordable housing, historic preservation, open space, or some other form of public benefit.
The Attorney General works very closely with those seeking covenants to make sure that the remediation and the proposed project are both achievable and beneficial to the public. The Attorney General’s Office encourages anyone interested in purchasing and developing a contaminated piece of property to contact the Office to discuss the possibility of a Brownfields Covenant Not to Sue.
This Brownfields Covenant Not to Sue was handled by Assistant Attorney General and Chief of the AG’s Environmental Protection Division Betsy Harper with assistance from Maureen Vallatini, Senior Regional Counsel, and Joanne Fagan, Section Chief for Brownfields and Risk Reduction, of the Northeast Regional Office of the MassDEP, and Peter Mulcahy, General Counsel, at the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
Original source can be found here.