175 Roger Avenue in Inwood generates interest

There is interest in the vacant and contaminated site at 175 Roger Avenue in Inwood as New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation has received a Brownfield Cleanup Program application for the vacant building at 175 Roger Avenue from Inwood 175, LLC that is associated with the Great Neck-based AJM Capital II, LLC.

According to the DEC, the objective of a BCP application is to encourage private-sector cleanup and redevelopment as a means to revitalize economically and environmentally blighted communities. LLC is short for limited liability company. It is a corporate structure in the United States where the owners are not personally liable for the company’s debts or liabilities. Based on state records AJM capital is eight years old.

Bill Fonda, a DEC spokesman, noted that the application was received on Feb. 15. “The application was reviewed for accuracy and completeness,” he said. “Based on the review, the application was deemed complete and the application completion letter was issued on April 16.”

The 4.85-acre site was developed with a 155,000 square foot one-story, warehouse building was built in three stages from 1954 through 1967, according to the DEC. Rockaway Metal Products occupied the site from roughly 1971 until 1987. The company disposed of hazardous products on the site that led to the Environmental Protection Agency conducting an emergency removal action in August 1993. The site has been owned by Nassau County’s Department of Real Estate since 1995.

Inwood Civic Association President Dave Hance said he’s not overly concerned with who applies for the building, but instead he just hopes the developers keep the site in good condition. “Whoever decides to apply for the site, I just hope that they are community-friendly,” Hance said. “The site was a dump before it was cleaned up and at one point was also unsafe for children to even walk by with the amount of broken glass in front of the building.”

The demolition of the site was completed in February. It was accomplished after the County Legislature voted to borrow $2.1 million to demolish the building in April 2017. The project cost $1.649 million as it included an additional $380,000 for construction management, contingency and environmental monitoring of the site.

Inwood resident Barry DeGroot has clear sight of the building from his home on Bayview Avenue. He has helped spearhead the efforts to demolish the building as he was on hand for the Oct. 4 news conference at the site that included several elected, including officials such as County Executive Laura Curran and Town of Hempstead Supervisor Laura Gillen. “This site has been a problem for the past 30 years,” DeGroot said. “People in the past have dumped their trash at the location and I hope that doesn’t happen again in the future.”

Public comments regarding the application can be made to the DEC at the email address: derweb@dec.ny.gov. “The DEC is conducting a 30-day public comment period to allow the public to comment on the application,” Fonda said. “At the close of the public comment period expires, DEC will make a final determination of eligibility.” The public comment session began on April 26.

Comments must include the site name and the ID number, C130164. The deadline for submissions is May 25.

Have an opinion about what type of business could be placed at 175 Roger Ave. ? Send your letter to the editor to jbessen@liherald.com.