[CPEO-MEF] Moffett toxics could hamper housing plan

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California
Moffett toxics could hamper housing plan
By Gabe Friedman

The underground toxins in a Moffett Field housing complex could derail a
federal plan to privatize military housing there.

In recent months, military officials have been discussing a project
which would have a private developer refurbish aging military housing at
a number of Moffett sites.

But trichloroethene (TCE) -- a carcinogenic solvent -- has been found in
and beneath homes in two areas, Orion Park and Wescoat. Project
officials said legal liability from the chemical's health risks could
turn off financers seeking to profit from the project.

The Army Corp of Engineers -- which oversees the housing -- wanted to
modernize the houses with internet service, smartening up the interiors
and giving them a general overhaul.

The plan calls for developer Clark Pinnacle to get a 50-year lease on
the land -- and the right to rent out the units -- in exchange for
remodeling them. But the health risks might devalue the lease to the
point that lenders would not accept it as collateral.

"The environmental issue's effects could affect financing and there
could be legal liability," said Rafael Muniz, Clark Pinnacle's project
manager. But neither he nor Army Corps representatives would speculate
on how much the pollution could affect the project.

This article can be viewed at:
http://www.mv-voice.com/thisweek/2003_02_07.navy2.html

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