The demolition begins!

Mayor’s Aide, Irving Lozada, Executive Director Office of Economic and Community Development Perth Amboy Redevelopment Agency Annie Hindenlang, Councilman Bill Petrick, Robert A Casagrande, DTZ, Council President Lisa Nanton, Doug Bansbach, Mayor Wilda Diaz, Acting Police Chief Larry Cattano and two members of Enterprise Network Resolutions Contracting
*Photos by Katherine Massopust

Press Release 3/27/15

ST. LOUIS, MO – Commercial Development Company Inc. (CDC) today announced plans to begin demolition at the former ASARCO site in Perth Amboy, NJ.  Existing structures will be razed to clear the way for vertical development and return the site to productive re-use.

A ceremony to kick-off the demolition will be held at 1160 State Street on Wednesday, April 1, 2015, at 1:00 p.m. Perth Amboy Mayor Wilda Diaz, city council members and other city officials plan to attend.

“For several decades, outer State Street has been plagued with hundreds of acres of environmentally challenged sites, but today is a new day in Perth Amboy. The creation of local job opportunities and the realization of new ratables are the primary goals of establishing a sustainable project that will carry Perth Amboy into a successful future. I want to thank Mr. Steve Collins and the entire Commercial Development Company team for their investment in our community,” said Mayor Wilda Diaz.

This large demolition project will raze 13 structures with a combined area of 253,270 square feet.  ENRC LLC, a New Jersey-based company with over 25 years’ experience in demolition and environmental remediation services, will perform the asbestos abatement and demolition.

Throughout 2015, CDC will prepare the site for redevelopment by constructing a groundwater treatment system that includes a 2,400 foot slurry wall and sheet pilings, and importing fill to raise the site above flood plan elevations.  CDC will then partner with Bridge Development Partners, LLC to construct two industrial buildings totaling over one million square feet on the site.

For several decades, this waterfront site was a smelting and refining facility owned and operated by ASARCO (American Smelting and Refining Company) until it closed in 1978.  Since closing its doors, long-term tenants and other environmental hazards have prohibited redevelopment of the site. CDC acquired the site in a bankruptcy sale in 2009 and assumed responsibility for onsite clean-up of environmental liabilities.

With quick and easy access to the NJ-440, the Port of New York, and Newark International Airport, the site will attract significant interest from tenants. Perth Amboy’s well-trained workforce and city infrastructure is also attractive to prospective tenants and employers.

“Commercial Development Company is excited to continue redevelopment of this Brownfield site” said Steve Collins, Executive Vice President at Commercial Development Company, Inc.  Collins adds “There will be significant benefits to Perth Amboy from economic, social, and environmental perspectives. Completion of the demolition phase of redevelopment brings us another step closer to converting this Brownfield site into a community asset.”