Environmental conditions can potentially account for an increasing percentage of the front-end cost of development. Moreover, due to the application of strict liability laws, inadequately assessed environmental conditions can also potentially create a significant degree of unquantifiable risk for owners, equity partners and/or lenders. Nexus’ extensive experience with local, regional, and federal environmental agencies enables it to navigate through the identification, quantification and qualification cycles on any environmental issue and produce a risk/benefit assessment for our clients. Below are recent examples of our environmental work:
Westside Lofts:
Costa Mesa, CA
151 apartment units, 5 live/work loft units and over 40,000 sq. ft. of commercial office space in the Mesa West Bluffs overlay zone of Westside Costa Mesa.
- Negotiated AB389 Agreement with the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) for soil and groundwater assessment and site remediation (which was a former manufacturing site) under California’s Land Reuse and Revitalization Act (only the 2nd of its nature in existence in California at the time).
- Completed building demolition and remediation of soil contamination, lead paint and asbestos.
- Negotiated a long-term operation and maintenance agreement with DTSC requiring the installation and monitoring of a subslab soil vapor membrane and management system.
MacArthur Place:
South Coast Metro, CA
791 residential units (including three 25-story condominium towers), 10,000 sq. ft. of office and 15,000 sq. ft. of retail, in a master-planned mixed-use commercial park.
- Obtained Southern California Regional Water Quality Control Board approvals.
- Environmental issues impacting the site included extensive ground water extraction program necessitated by gasoline additive by-products in soil and groundwater.
- Negotiated with Orange County Sanitation District for disposal after in-situ treatment.
