Rajesh Patel, president of Accente, did not respond to requests for comment.
The cleanup contract, which DES provided, said that Accente, KSRN S Main LLC and RNKS Augusta St LLC will inspect the site for any environmental contamination and address it.
Greenlink’s former bus maintenance site, situated on Augusta Street steps from Fluor Field, has a long industrial history stretching back more than a century. A voluntary cleanup contract has been signed for the property.
In April, Accente, KSRN S Main LLC, and RNKS Augusta St LLC applied for the voluntary cleanup agreement with DES.
Now that the agreement is signed, the agency will allow Accente and two related companies to acquire the property as a brownfield site, according to a DES public notice.
Accente won’t be held responsible for pre-existing pollution on the site in exchange for testing the soil and groundwater for contamination.
If significant pollution is found, Accente will be required to control the pollution to protect human health and the environment. The cleanup contract doesn’t reduce the liability that former property owners bear from the site, but state law would protect Accente from anyone potentially affected by the contamination, the DES notice said.
The cleanup contract limits the ways Accente can develop the property.
Groundwater use is prohibited for any purpose, and any activity that could disturb the soil is also banned, unless it’s part of a plan approved by DES. This ban includes single-family residences with individually owned or controlled land, agricultural uses and outdoor recreational use that could result in exposure to soil.
DES could require more restrictions if testing finds contamination levels to be greater than expected, the notice said.
Accente brought in Bunnell Lammons Engineering for an environmental site assessment and review in March. The Greenville-based firm said in its report, which DES provided, that inspections found the site had recent and past releases of volatile organic compounds.
