Environmental Due Diligence and Site Redevelopment, Former Concord Naval Weapons Station
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Geosyntec Consultants was retained by the master developer of a large property that once housed the Concord Naval Weapons Station to conduct environmental due diligence, support the client in the transfer of the property from the Department of Defense (DOD), and assist in its redevelopment.

Geosyntec’s due diligence work helped the client more fully understand the nature and extent of impacts at the site and the scope of the DOD’s Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) closure activities. Later work included support of remediation after the transfer. The end goal of the project was to redevelop this 400-acre site as a mixed-use project, including a university campus.

Geosyntec’s Scope of Services.

Geosyntec began our involvement by performing environmental due diligence and working with the client to negotiate the terms of the land transfer with respect to environmental issues. This work was performed under the framework of the DOD Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC) and included conducting environmental due diligence and critical review of environmental baseline surveys, CERCLA closure documents, petroleum hydrocarbon closure documents, radiological closure documents, and Finding of Suitability to Transfer reports. Work also included reviewing the Navy environmental closure strategies, preparing environmental remediation cost estimates for various development scenarios, and preparing a financial assessment of environmental conditions remaining at the site. In consideration of the future impacts of the DOD’s ongoing work, Geosyntec worked with our client to begin preparing a Site Management Plan to provide a framework to integrate remediation and development of the site.

Notable Accomplishments

Geosyntec developed a thorough understanding of sitewide environmental conditions through its review of DOD documents and provided critical comments and input to the DOD to ensure that site conditions are appropriate for CERCLA closure and subsequent redevelopment. Geosyntec was instrumental in helping hold the DOD accountable to the terms of the transfer and CERCLA closure documents, and we worked with the client, regulatory agencies, and the DOD to ensure consistency between the environmental closure and the development plan. Over the course of our work on this project, Geosyntec developed an environmental constraints database and constructed an online, georeferenced mapping and search tool for all environmental constraints on the site. The client’s planning and engineering team used the tool throughout the planning and entitlement process to verify that new facilities in the project (utilities, buildings, parks, roads, etc.) would integrate appropriately with the environmental constraints.