Union Mill

About

AWARDS:

Preservation Maryland’s Phoenix Award

“WaveMaker Award,” by the Urban Land Institute, Baltimore District

Brownfield Renewal Award, Sustainability Impact Category

GTA was responsible for a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) for the $20 million redevelopment of a historic, but environmentally contaminated, former industrial property into an 86,000-SF mixed-use facility containing 56 one and two bedroom apartment units targeted to teachers, and 25,000 SF of office space designed for non-profit organizations. Union Mill, originally known as Druid Mill, was built in 1866. The site was historically a duck cotton mill, an engineering and machine company, furniture and chrome furniture manufacturing, and several other manufacturing companies. Laboratory analysis of samples collected from the site during the Phase II ESA reported elevated concentrations of petroleum constituents and metals in soil, and petroleum constituents and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in groundwater. The site was entered into the Maryland Department of the Environment’s (MDE) Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP). Based on the identified contamination and future development plans, a Response Action Plan (RAP) was generated by the developer and later approved by the MDE VCP. The RAP ultimately included removal of 27,000 tons of petroleum/metals-impacted soil, removal of 400 tons of hazardous levels of cadmium-impacted soil, an extensive below grade piping and tunnel evaluation, various capping methodologies, and other engineering and institutional controls. In addition, one 3,000-gallon fuel oil underground storage tank (UST) was removed from the subject property during the construction process. The UST received formal closure through MDE’s Oil Control Program. The project has received state and federal historic preservation tax credits and is designed to Baltimore City Green Standards (two stars) the equivalent of LEED-NC Silver Certification.