Environmental Phase 1 Company NJ – Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment Company

The Phase 1 Environmental consulting NJ is the leading phase 1 environmental site assessment company specializing in Phase one ESA’s (Environmental Site Assessments). With over 15 years experience and a team of environmental consultants and engineers that have dedicated their lives to the industry the Phase 1 Environmental Consulting NJ is America’s preferred and leading company for Phase 1 Environmental Reports. The Best Environmental Phase 1 Company in NJ

1. 10 Day Turnaround Time on Reports
2. Environmental Phase 1 Company
3. Leading Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment Company NJ

What is a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment ?

A Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment is the investigation into the historical and current environmental state of a subject property and reporting of any Recognized Environmental Conditions (REC’s) Found. A Phase 1 ESA includes a site visit and will contain the following components in the report

1. Description of Subject Property
2. Summary of the Environmental Site Assessment Report
3. Recommendations Based on Completed Investigation
4. Location and Legal Description of the Subject Property
5. Site and Vicinity Description
6. Current Use of the Property
7. Description of Structures and Land Improvements
8. Adjoining Property Information
9. Property Value Reduction from environmental issues
10. Interviews with Property Owners, Managers, Occupants, & Neighbors
11. Summary of Regulatory File Review
12. Summary of State and Local Environmental Record Review
13. Current Topography Summary
14. Geology & Hydrology Summary
15. Historical Summary
16. Title Record Review
17. City Directories Review (Historical Tenants List)
18. Aerial Photos review
19. Sandborn/Historical Maps Review
20. Historical Topographic Maps Review
21. Summary of Environmental Liens and Activity use/limitations review
22. Vapor Encroachment Valuation
23. Current Hazardous Substances
24. UST’s (Underground Storage Tanks)
25. AST’s (Above Ground Storage Tanks)
26. Suspect Containers
27. Equipment Likely to contain PCB’s
28. Interior Staining / Corrosions
29. Discharge Features
30. Pits, Ponds, Lagoons
31. Solid Waste Dumping, Landfills
32. Stained Soil Stressed Vegetation
33. Wells
34. Recognized Environmental Conditions (REC’s)

What is the purpose of a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment Report?

The Purpose of a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment is to Identify any existing or potential Recognized Environmental Conditions (REC’s) for a subject property. Typically conducted during commercial real estate transactions the report serves to identify the environmental contamination liabilities present from any found Recognized Environmental Conditions (REC’s)

By identifying and assessing any present environmental contamination liabilities in the due diligence phase of a commercial real estate transaction the lender and buyer can accurately assess any possible property valuation reductions and make informed purchase / lending decisions.

Here is an example of How a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment Report serves its purpose in the due diligence phase of a real estate or land transaction: Interested Buyer Billy has his eyes set on a corner lot that is currently a strip mall in the City of Newark New Jersey. Seller Steve Purchased the property 10 years earlier (current year 2022) as a strip mall and made no improvements to the property. Seller Steve did not conduct a Phase 1 when purchasing the property 10 years earlier. Commercial Mortgage Lender Larry requires a Phase 1 ESA (Environmental Site Assessment) before approving the loan to Buyer Billy. The Phase 1 Buyer Billy was required to conduct before being approved on the loan for the property yielded the following

The Recognized Environmental Conditions identified by the Phase 1 ESA were:

1. Historical use of property as gas station in the 1970’s
2. 2 Existing 1000 gallon Underground Storage Tanks (UST’s)

The Recommendations based on the Phase 1 Environmental Investigations were

1. Remove the two 1000 Gallon Underground Storage Tanks (UST’s) before Closing on the property
2. Properly Remediate soil contamination from any leaks in the Underground Storage Tanks (UST’s) before closing.

Seller Steve subsequently removed the two underground gasoline tanks and remediated the contaminated soil for the leaking tanks at a total cost of $135,000. Buyer Billy was able to avoid the $135,000 liability from unseen environmental contamination by performing a phase 1 environmental site assessment with his due diligence. Seller Steve was unable to fully repay the loan that he had acquired 10 years earlier to purchase the property because of the $135,000 cleanup cost. Commercial Lender Larry protected his loan investment to Buyer Billy by avoiding the situation Seller Steve ended up in by requiring a Phase 1 ESA before approving.

The Phase 1 Environmental Group Is the Nations Preferred Environmental Company for Phase 1 ESA Reports. We Currently have environmental consultants in 35 states and have a 10 day turnaround time on completed reports from the time of a site visit Request a Quote Today

Why Do I Need a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment?

A Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment is performed to protect, identify, and inform a commercial real estate or land buyer from potential or existing liabilities due to environmental conditions / contamination. You never know what the historical use of a property holds and how it could effect the present environmental condition of land and its structures until a property environmental investigation is conducted. To demonstrate how this is done here is a real life example of a Jersey City NJ man who did not perform a Phase 1 ESA when purchasing a multifamily housing development and subsequently lost the building and went bankrupt in the years to come.

Landlord Leon purchases a 40 unit multi family apartment complex that was originally built in the 1930’s in Jersey City NJ. In the first half of the 1900’s a company name Honeywell was a prominent figure in the Jersey City NJ area and manufactured a line of heating and cooling products in the city.

In the manufacturing of their most popular furnace a byproduct of chromium ore was created in factory and not needed or useful.  The Chromium ore was put out in the manufacturing yard and given away to anyone willing to haul it for free.  For many years it was used by local contractors to backfill concrete block used in the foundation And floor level buildings during construction throughout Jersey City in the 1930’s.  It was later discovered that the chromium ore was carcinogenic and would cause cancer in those who were exposed to it over long periods of time.  

In 2016 long time tenant Tina passed away from caner at the age of 84, she had lived in the building for over 50 years.  Tenant Tina had 3 kids, one of which was an Attorney whom specialized in environmental law and knew that chromium ore was present in the many of the buildings in his mothers neighborhood. 

Landlord Leon was sued for the death of Tenant Tina in 2019 and after a long court battle was found to be at fault for negligence in exposing his tenants to the chromium ore present in the block foundation of his building he never knew existed.

Tenant Tina most likely did not pass away from the exposure to the chromium ore due to its encapsulation in the foundation but the point is had he done a phase 1 environmental site assessment the presence of the chromium ore would have been identified and made known and Landlord Leon would have purchased another building which he would still have along with his entire bank account.   

Phase 1 Environmental Cost

The Phase 1 Environmental cost will vary depending on a few factors. Size of the subject property, Length of historical use, and complexity of the environmental conditions are all factors that will change the phase 1 environmental cost. Typically a phase 1 environmental cost in year 2022 will be between $2,000 – $4,000

How Long Does a Phase 1 Environmental Take?

A Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment takes 10-28 Days to complete. How long a phase 1 environmental takes depends on the property. In year 2022 a property with little history can be completed and delivered in 10 Days. A property with lengthy environmental records could take up to 28 days. OPRA (Open Public Records Act) Requests from city, state, and environmental agencies must be submitted and then obtained. In many public offices the process of obtaining all the required paperwork and delivering them so they can be reviewed could take up to two weeks.