History of the Site – A Story of Transformation
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Glen Cove Starch Works |
Glen Cove Creek has a long, storied history that is closely associated with its waterfront. In the past, companies such as Glen Cove Starchworks and the Wa Cheng Smelting Factory have been at the epicenter of the Creek’s industrial and economic existence. Glen Cove would not be what it is today without the generations of hard-working
men and women who shaped the character
of the waterfront. Unfortunately, and unbeknownst to most, this came at the
expense of the natural environment.
Over time it became evident that the contamination was greater than anyone could have possibly imagined. This was epitomized when the Glen Cove waterfront was designated as one of the worst Brownfield Superfund sites in the country.
In the late 90’s the city of Glen Cove had a dream. That dream was to take an abandoned and polluted waterfront and return it back to the people of Glen Cove. At that time, initial environmental investigations did not indicate that the levels of cleanup would be sufficient to allow for residential use. Therefore, the concept plan put forth resulted in an approved environmental study, which analyzed a plan that could include in excess of 1.3 Million square feet of retail, commercial and industrial space.
 As the process continued, further investigations led to the realization that the inclusion of a residential component was now a safely attainable goal. Furthermore, when compared to the uses approved in the 1998 retail, commercial and industrial plan (as analyzed in the Generic Environmental Impact Statement for the original
Marine Waterfront-3 District) the
current mixed-use development plan results in LESS THAN ONE HALF THE TRAFFIC that would have been generated by the 1998 plan.
A key milestone in Glen Cove’s history occurred on October 27, 2005 when the last
truck-load of radioactive waste was removed from the western portion of the waterfront. This monumental event, along with the commencement of the bridge and road connector projects, are critical elements essential to the evolution of Glen Cove’s revitalization.
To date, the City of Glen Cove in conjunction with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the USEPA, the NYSDEC and numerous other State and Federal Agencies have expended or committed in excess of $120 Million towards remediating the site and providing much needed infrastructure improvements. These cleanup efforts have transformed this former blight into land that will benefit all residents of Glen Cove. For more information on the environmental benefits Glen Isle will result in, click here.
On October 15, 2007, RexCorp Realty (now known as RXR Realty) partnered with Glen Isle
Partners, LLC., creating RexCorp-Glen Isle Partners, LLC (now RXR Glen Isle). This new
partnership provided the Glen Isle team with fresh insight and
significant additional resources. RXR Glen Isle Partners, LLC. has
been working hand in hand with the City in a collaborative effort to
produce a high quality development plan that will benefit all Glen
Cove residents and businesses.
This new partnership celebrated a significant milestone on September
9th , 2008, when the Glen Cove Community Development Agency and
Industrial Development Agency both unanimously approved RXR Glen
Isle's Conceptual Development Plan. These approvals have paved the way for the
public review of the proposed plan, under the State Environmental
Quality Review Act (SEQRA).
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