Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) recently reached a significant milestone in its redevelopment project — successfully removing the redevelopment property from its hazardous waste facility permit. Since that land had been a part of a permitted hazardous waste management facility, investigation and remedial actions were necessary to remove the property from the facility permit and to make it available for redevelopment as commercial, residential and park areas. All this work had to be overseen and approved by a state environmental agency and completed prior to the date specified for property transfer.

It is not unusual to see former industrial property being converted for reuse as commercial or residential development; such activities take place every day across the country. In many instances, redevelopment requires cleaning up any residual contamination that might have resulted from the former industrial operation. Although such cleanup projects are often complex and costly for property owners, advances in remediation technology have made it possible to reclaim land today that would have required land use restrictions in the past.

Although such reclamation projects are not uncommon, it is not so common to accomplish a sound and responsible cleanup that also meets land acquisition and purchase transaction schedules. This is particularly true in light of the complex environmental regulatory requirements that must be met in hopes of obtaining agency approval of all cleanup activities in time to satisfy all other contractual agreements.

Throughout the Hitachi GST project, company representatives worked closely with the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to formulate a plan for investigation, evaluation of options and ultimate remediation of contamination. On a track parallel to the environmental investigation, there was a need to begin demolition of buildings and road surfaces that would ultimately make way for the new infrastructure that was required for the redevelopment. With firm a target completion date set nearly three years prior, there was little room in the schedule to allow for slippages that were not absolutely necessary due to physical or technical issues. Therefore, DTSC and Hitachi GST agreed up front to several simple but important elements for the project:

• DTSC would establish a team of staff, including a regulatory expert, toxicologist and a geologist, to follow the project from beginning to end.
• Hitachi GST also would dedicate staff and outside technical experts to the project for its duration.
• DTSC and Hitachi GST would establish a project schedule with all aspects of the investigation and remediation coordinated with the stages of demolition and infrastructure installation.
• Both parties would meet early and often with face-to-face meetings or conference calls where appropriate.
• The operating principle of the project was to be "no surprises." As soon as new information came available that might have had an impact on the project schedule, that information was to be shared with the entire project team.
• Ongoing communication with the public was to be an important element of the project.

In summary, Hitachi GST’s property is clean and available for redevelopment, and this milestone was accomplished within the timeframe established nearly three years ago. The framework for this complex environmental regulatory project is unique, not because of revolutionary methods or approaches, but because of attention to detail and commitment. This Hitachi GST/DTSC accomplishment stands out as a model for success.

The official record of Hitachi GST’s environmental investigation and remediation activities is located at http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/HazardousWaste/Projects/Hitachi.cfm.