Business & Tech

Palisades Village Tenants, Caruso Affiliated Addressing Soil Contaminant Issue

Developer Rick Caruso and the Pacific Palisades Village Ownership Group are still looking to broker a deal for 10 commercial properties.

Pacific Palisades village tenants on the north and south sides of Swarthmore Avenue received letters Wednesday alerting them of a contaminant found in the soil.

The issue is being addressed by the two entities involved in the sale of the commercial properties.

The old Emerson LaMay Cleaners at 1045 Swarthmore that closed in 2001 used a solvent called perchloroethylene, or PCE, according to Mary McDaniel, spokeswoman for the Pacific Palisades Village Ownership Group, an entity representing 14 trusts in the village.

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Developer Rick Caruso, owner of the upscale Grove shopping center in L.A., expressed interest in purchasing the group's 10 parcels located east of Swarthmore Avenue and Sunset Boulevard in late 2012.

Based on soil sampling behind a building on the north side of Swarthmore, and groundwater sampling about 80 feet below the surface, McDaniel said it appears there were spills or releases of PCE from the dry cleaners. The last samples were taken March 29.

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“The levels found in units were 100 times lower than allowable levels for dry cleaner workers," McDaniel told Patch Wednesday. "But it is over the California screening level."

She said there may be other businesses in the area that contributed contaminants detected in the groundwater, however, the groundwater in this area of Palisades village is not used for drinking water. So, McDaniel said, the situation does not affect the tap water quality of the group's property or, more generally, for residents of the Pacific Palisades.

McDaniel said the owners are working with a team of environmental experts to evaluate and address the situation and indoor air quality. They are also working with the Caruso Affiliated and Cal-EPA to develop a cleanup plan that, if approved, will be implemented this summer.

"The north side of Swarthmore nearest the dry cleaners are going to be getting some air purifier units because they had low levels of PCE," McDaniel said. "Those will probably be coming by the end of next week."

Although not yet approved by Cal-EPA, McDaniel said a "soil vapor extraction system" could be a solution.

"The soil vapor extraction system works by creating a vacuum and pulling the chemicals into the system where they are treated," she said. 

Sources familiar with the sale told Patch Thursday that Caruso Affiliated has a "long track record in mitigating environmental issues."

McDaniel added she felt tenants were pleased to hear progress is being made to broker the deal.

"It looks very much like Caruso and the owners can come to agreement with clean-up technology and then the deal can go through," she said.

Charles Sipkins, spokesman for Caruso Affiliated, released this statement to the media Wednesday:

"Pacific Palisades is a wonderful community and the Palisades Village has significant potential. We are under contract to acquire the property from its owner and we are in the process of conducting our due diligence."

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