Hawthorne OKs plan for redevelopment of paint factory site, with cleanup still needed
HAWTHORNE — The borough has adopted a redevelopment plan for property in the 2nd Ward that was abandoned by a paint manufacturer in the mid-1990s.
But repurposing the derelict site at 55 Schoon Ave. will call for someone who is prepared to remediate polluted soil and water that still exist there, officials said.
The Borough Council passed twin ordinances to amend the zoning code in regard to the property and to approve the plan, which states that the 2.4-acre site is suited only for industrial use.
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The code amendment includes criteria for the property, such as its permitted activities: information technology services, sculpture and woodworking among them.
The 26-page plan says assembly operations are also allowed if pieces of the final product are made elsewhere and the product itself is nonflammable.
Approval of the plan ended a process that began in May, when the Planning Board held a public hearing and recommended redevelopment of the contaminated site to the council.
The property, deserted by Pyrolac Corp. in April 1995, is shaped like a trapezoid. It abuts the railroad to the west and, to the east, a row of single-family homes.
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A corner of the site, which is less than 900 feet north of the Passaic River, lies in the 100-year flood plain.
Pyrolac, formerly known as Vulcan Lacquer & Coatings Co. Inc., occupied the property for almost three decades before it encountered financial trouble and declared bankruptcy.
It left a host of chemical hazards in the ground and a total of more than 11,100 square feet of manufacturing facilities, which have long been dilapidated and overgrown.
Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: devencentis@northjersey.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Hawthorne officials OK redevelopment plan for deserted paint factory
