The six-acre parcel, which had a brush with fame when it stood in for the fictional town of Stuckeyville, OH for the sitcom "Ed", was once used as a sports complex and featured a bowling alley, basketball courts and an indoor tennis facility. In addition, the previous owner operated a land development and construction business on the site and kept 2,000-gallon gasoline, diesel and waste oil storage tanks underground. The tanks eventually leaked benzene and other contaminants into the soil and groundwater, prompting Rio Vista--the site's eventual purchaser and developer of Rio Vista Greens--to bring in Whitman for the cleanup.

When completed, Rio Vista Greens will feature 88 apartment and townhouse-style condominium units, a three-story clubhouse and a pool. The property is opposite the 18-hole Rockleigh Golf Course, a short drive from the George Washington Bridge, the Palisades Interstate Park System and the Hudson River. Rio Vista did not return GlobeSt.com calls by deadline.

"Bringing in an environmental consultant at the outset of the project helped us to incorporate the remediation plan with the design, saving a lot of time and money, as well as potential headaches," says Rio Vista CEO John Mavroudis in a company statement. "We had a hands-on team with a vast amount of experience and the ability to help us identify real environmental problems and concerns and create innovative solutions to help redevelop this site."