Brownfield cleanup is underway at East Village development site.

Work on a major excavation project to clean up a contaminated development site got underway in the city's East Village this week.

Developer Robert Kaliner, president of Ascend Group, LLC, had requested permission to carry out the decontamination through the Brownfield Cleanup Program, part of the State Department of Environmental Conservation's effort to encourage the voluntary cleanup of contaminated properties by their developers, with the oversight of the state.

A "brownfield" is classified as a property that is difficult to reuse or develop because of the presence or potential presence of contamination.

In exchange for taking part in the program, developers get liability protection, tax breaks and regulatory guidance from the Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of Health.

Until recently, the East Village location was occupied by small, adjoining buildings that were built between 1903 and 1920. Residents of the old, now demolished buildings included East Side Lumber, LaChapelle Photo Studio and a vacant grocery store.

One of the buildings, located at 427 East 13th Street, was occupied by a dry cleaning facility. It was under that building that contaminants were found in subsurface soils and shallow groundwater.

The contaminant of concern was a chlorinated volatile organic compound called Perchloroethylene, more commonly known as PCE. A study conducted by environmental consultants CA Rich found that the PCE could end up in the East River, a mere 2,500 feet away, if not removed.

The contamination was documented in the second phase of an environmental site investigation, and the developer--who submitted a Brownfield Application to the state last June--was granted permission to carry out the site work in December.

According to the Department of Health, residents living nearby are in no danger. Impacted soil removed from the site will be transported to Stablex, a hazardous waste treatment disposal facility in Canada.

The 13th-14th Street property will eventually become an eight-story, 80-foot high condominium building with 87 luxury housing units. The condominium will also have a swimming pool on the roof, concierge service, retailers on the 14th Street side and a landscaped courtyard.

The cleanup work is expected to be finished this month or April and the building is scheduled for completion by March, 2007. Hudson Meridian--the firm that oversaw the 9/11 WTC recover and debris removal process--is the construction manager for the project and CA Rich is the environmental consultant.

Cetra/Ruddy, has been hired to design the new building which Severud Associates will serve as structural engineer.