TONAWANDA, N.Y. — Big plans are in the works for the site of the former Tonawanda Coke plant, which has a new owner. Before anything happens, it needs to go through a big clean-up process to make sure the air and soil there, and in the surrounding neighborhoods, is safe.
Monday, a federal bankruptcy court in Buffalo awarded site control of the former Tonawanda Coke property to the only company that turned in a proposal — Riverview Innovation & Technology Campus — owned by the CEO of OSC, an environmental and demolition contractor.
The developer wants to turn it into a tech park because he says there's a growing need for them.
“If you can get the site back to a usable condition, and we can remediate and clean-up the historical contamination, the site should have a long future," says Riverview’s Jon Williams.
The developer told 2 On Your Side he wants to turn this into a tech park because there's a growing need for them.
"I think the best way to describe it is really a data factory because we're talking on a cell phone right now, you're recording this interview, all of that happens as a result of data storage and cloud storage, and every day those requirements grow," said Williams.
Williams says he turned a Brownfield application in to the state DEC to get the clean-up process started. The Clean Air Coalition of Western New York wants it to be part of the federal Superfund program instead.
A spokesperson for Congressman Brian Higgins told us the DEC will decide the property's fate. The DEC could accept the Brownfield application, refer it to the federal superfund program for the EPA to make a decision, or the land could be split-up and cleaned-up under different programs.
The Town of Tonawanda Supervisor says he's glad the land's Tonawanda Coke phase is ending.
"From a revenue standpoint, it's really not that big of an impact for the town," says Supervisor Joe Emminger. "It's nothing like Huntley was when Huntley shut down, but obviously, it means employment, it means jobs coming into the area, and that's what we're excited about."
Williams sees redevelopment starting within five years. Emminger thinks it could take longer.
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