New York (April 28, 2008) – Langan Engineering & Environmental Services has been awarded the United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 2 Phoenix Award for its work on The Shops at Atlas Park project in Queens, New York. The project, one of the first to enter the newly enacted State of New York Brownfield Cleanup Program, is a 20-acre lifestyle center catering to boutique retail space, restaurants, and entertainment.
Langan was instrumental in assisting the project developer, Atlas Park, LLC, overcome a host of engineering challenges and regulatory issues to garner the Phoenix Award. The project will be judged alongside nine other regional award recipients for the national grand prize at the upcoming United States EPA Brownfield Conference in Detroit next month.
A turn-of-the-century industrial park located in the Glendale section of Queens, The Shops at Atlas Park, which consists of two sections (Parcels A and B), is considered the premier example of the revitalization of the retail sector in the borough. Thanks in large part to Langan’s guidance as the project’s brownfield consultant, civil engineer, and geotechnical engineer, The Shops at Atlas Park has become an exclusive retail lifestyle shopping center and an inspiration for further redevelopment projects in the region. By leading Atlas Park, LLC through the application process for the Brownfield Cleanup Program, Langan helped ensure that the project received tax credits of 14 percent of the total project costs for Parcel A and 12 percent for Parcel B.
“The Shops at Atlas Park benefited greatly from Langan’s one-stop-shop model, which facilitated our ability to stay on schedule,” said Damon Hemmerdinger, Principal, Atlas Park, LLC. “Langan’s knowledge of the regulatory processes, technical expertise, and responsiveness had an enormous positive impact on this project.”
Langan’s geotechnical, environmental, site/civil, traffic, survey, and demolition services were deployed on The Shops at Atlas Park. Langan’s geotechnical engineers developed foundation design recommendations to address variable fill material and historic below grade structures, while site/civil engineers designed internal roadways, stormwater treatments/detention systems, and internal utility loops. Traffic engineering was required to design new entrance roads, providing smooth site access. During construction, Langan assured preservation of vital existing utilities to allow the existing tenants to remain in place as long as possible; verified foundation conditions; and oversaw the existing remediation efforts to obtain final approvals from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
“We are proud to win the prestigious Phoenix Award and gratified to have helped Atlas Park LLC transform an underutilized industrial property into a visually appealing retail destination that is sure to spur future development, strengthen the local economy, and improve the quality of life in the community,” said David T. Gockel, President and CEO of Langan. “Langan thrives on large-scale, urban redevelopment projects such as The Shops at Atlas Park because it allows us to utilize our integrated land development engineering and environmental services, while leveraging our extensive experience in revitalizing brownfield sites.”
About The Phoenix Awards
The Phoenix Awards are nationally recognized as the outstanding award for achievement of excellence in brownfield redevelopment. Created in 1997, the prestigious Phoenix Awards honor individuals and groups who are working to solve the critical environmental problem of transforming abandoned industrial areas into productive new uses.
About Langan Engineering & Environmental Services
Founded in 1970 and headquartered in Elmwood Park, N.J., Langan is a premier provider of integrated land development engineering and environmental consulting services. Currently, Langan (www.langan.com) employs nearly 700 professionals and has regional offices in New York City; Philadelphia and Doylestown, PA; New Haven, CT; Trenton, NJ; Miami and Tallahassee, FL; and Las Vegas, NV. Langan’s core disciplines are site/civil, geotechnical, and environmental engineering, as well as landscape architecture and planning, survey, traffic/transportation, CADD/GIS, and natural resource permitting. The firm works in virtually all real estate development sectors including residential, retail, office, industrial, high-rise, school construction, mixed-use, stadiums/arenas, waterfront and brownfield redevelopment, urban revitalization and corporate environmental remediation.