Kingston - Phase II ESA, 1100 Montreal Street

The City of Kingston will conduct a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) and Remedial Action Plan (RAP) on a 0.5 acre brownfield site at 1100 Montreal Street. The property was a former gas station, and has been abandoned for decades. The City considers the site to be a gateway property for the Rideau Heights Regeneration Strategy, and plans to remediate it and then issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for redevelopment. The scope of the Phase II ESA will include drilling boreholes, test pits, monitoring wells, and collecting soil and groundwater samples for lab analysis. Consultants will screen samples for metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, and petroleum hydrocarbons. Based on the results, they will develop a Remedial Action Plan and Site Specific Health and Safety Plan. They will also create a Soil Management Plan to minimize the amount of soil that is removed from the property and transported to a landfill, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Before the City acquired the site they tried to facilitate redevelopment by demolishing a derelict building on the property and offering financial incentives for redevelopment through the Brownfield Community Improvement Plan. However, it did not generate any interest from the private sector though it went on offer twice under the failed tax sale program. Subsequently, the City completed a Phase I ESA for the site, and plans to obtain a Record of Site Condition to residential and/or commercial standard after remediation. Kingston’s hands-on approach to the site is in line with their Strategic Plan which targets abandoned properties for redevelopment. The proposed Rideau Heights Neighborhood Regeneration Strategy identifies the property as a candidate area for affordable housing and accessory neighborhood commercial uses such as a small grocery, medical or dental office. The RFP issued by the City for site redevelopment will encourage sustainable building construction and design. The City’s Brownfield Manager will oversee the project, with close consultation from the Department of Environment and Sustainable Initiatives and the Department of Housing and Social Services. The City will also engage the public to ensure that the redevelopment is in sync with their expectations for the property. Redevelopment of the contaminated site will add value to the adjacent properties and the immediate community, as well as increasing the City’s overall tax base. (Project description from original funding application)