All News Releases By Date

Groundbreaking Ceremony Will Commemorate beginning of Redevelopment at Former Superfund Site in St. Augustine, Florida

Release Date: 9/15/2005
Contact Information:

For Immediate Release

Contact: Laura Niles ([email protected]), Phone: (404) 562-8353

Groundbreaking Ceremony Will Commemorate beginning of Redevelopment at Former Superfund Site in St. Augustine, Florida

Atlanta – September 15, 2005) Groundbreaking for the redevelopment of the entrance to the oldest city in the United States, St. Augustine, Florida, was celebrated today at the Sebastian Inland Harbor in St. Augustine. San Sebastian Harbor Partners LLC, in cooperation with co-developers the Devlin Group and Grunthal & Schueth, have planned the redevelopment following the completion of cleanup at the former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) St. Augustine Manufactured Gas Superfund Site (St. Augustine Gas Site).

The St. Augustine Gas Site is approximately 13 acres and is the former location of a manufactured gas plant, which operated from approximately 1885 to the late 1950s. The site was contaminated with coal tar, a byproduct of the gas production process. EPA expeditiously initiated the excavation of contaminated soil and sediment, which exceeded EPA’s cleanup levels. The cleanup work was done by contractors who were hired by the City of St. Augustine and Atlanta Gas Light Company. The excavated areas were backfilled and reseeded to await future redevelopment activities. Subsequently, a Work Plan was submitted to the EPA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to determine how contaminated sediments should be handled if encountered during redevelopment work.

Collaboration between EPA, NOAA, the City of St. Augustine, Atlanta Gas Light Company, San Sebastian Harbor Partners LLC and contractors to expeditiously evaluate, revise and approve the Work Plan resulted in the City and San Sebastian Harbor Partners LLC meeting all permitting and scheduling goals outlined in the original proposal. This redevelopment is not only a successful public/private venture designed in cooperation between the City and a private developer, but is also an environmental success story highlighting the cooperation between private business, city administration, federal agencies, and state and local agencies.

When completed, the property will include 24,000 square feet of boutique shops, an 83-room up-scale boutique hotel, a world-class spa, 96 condominium units, 15 lofts, and a 65 slip inland Marina. Located on the San Sebastian River, this unique waterfront community will be the centerpiece of the new gateway into historic St. Augustine.

###