9-28-18

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Real Estate Journal — Fall Preview — September 28 - October 11, 2018 — 9C

M id A tlantic

E nvironmental E ngineering By Fuad Dahan, Ph.D., P.E., LSRP Environmental cleanup role in new development trends

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combined with an engineered cap has made it less complicat- ed to develop environmentally challenged properties such as landfills and chromium sites. Emerging contaminants and changing regulations will con- tinue to be in the forefront of site remediation. The NJDEP is in the process of regulating per- and polyfluoroalkyl sub- stances (PFASs), which are found in Teflon-coated cooking pans, water-repellant cloth- ing, stain-resistant carpets and furniture, among other consumer products. PFAS- discharges are predominantly

identified on military or air force bases, where they were used as firefighting foam. Many remediation technolo- gies that are being developed and applied are proving effec- tive in treating PFASs. An- other emerging contaminant, 1,4 Dioxane, that has been recently regulated in New Jer- sey, is causing some previously closed sites to re-open or ex- tend the monitoring life-span. The ever-changing state and federal environmental regulations will continue to be a source of unknown risk for long-term real estate in-

vestments. A well-conducted search during purchase due- diligence is becoming increas- ingly crucial to hedge the potential future risks. It is im- possible to predict the future but a thoroughly-conducted property study and consid- eration of potential impend- ing scenarios may minimize investment exposure. We are seeing more real estate inves- tors hiring environmental specialists (engineers and attorneys) to be part of their initial evaluation team. We expect that this trend will become the norm in the future.

Contact SESI today to re- view a current property or potential purchase. Fuad Dahan, Ph.D., P.E., LSRP has over 15 years of environmental engineer- ing experience. His diverse experience includes envi- ronmental treatment sys- tem applications, design, research and monitoring. He has worked on federal, state, and private projects. Fuad has managed multi- milliondollar projects and programs for large corpo- rations including Fortune 500 companies. 

he current trends in the real estate indus- try have brought posi-

tive changes t o s eve r a l t owns . We expect these trends to con- tinue for the foreseeable future. En- vironmental engineering

Fuad Dahan

has evolved to economically remediate properties impacted with traditional contaminants. Emerging contaminants that have been or are in the process of being regulated pose new challenges for remediation, however, advances in treat- ment technologies are hap- pening fast. The “Millennial Lifestyle” is creating forces that are re- directing real estate develop- ment. The “live, work, play” style of living and the prefer- ence to be in the vicinity of work or public transportation are bringing about the devel- opment of large residential buildings near transport sta- tions (transportation-oriented development) or in mid- to small-size communities. The increase of on-line business and other businesses, such as micro-farming, result in the need to develop large ware- houses near major highways. These trends are leading to the revival of cities and towns that were historically indus- trial centers. These towns offer the convenience of pub- lic transportation and often, water-front living. Sites such as old manufacturing plants or closed landfills that have been avoided for decades be- cause of their environmental liabilities are now drawing major investors, who watch the already high real-estate values grow. The development of environmentally-challeng- ing sites has been aided by financial assistance – grants and local tax incentives – and a set of regulations, includ- ing the Brownfield Act and Site Remediation Reform Act (SRRA) that created the LSRP program. Innovation in the environ- mental engineering field has resulted in faster and econom- ical regulatory compliance for environmental challenges that were previously considered unsolvable. The advancement of certain engineering controls such as real-time monitoring

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