Washington Development Associates, an arm of the Newman Development Group, will seek tenants for the lot now occupied by Rexel Electrical Supplies, said Kenneth Kamlet, an attorney for the Newman group. The former Wehle Electric Building, now occupied by Rexel, will be demolished to make way for cleaning and redeveloping the site after the electrical company moves this summer, Kamlet said.

The land, between Water and Washington streets and south of Susquehanna Street, was once occupied by a gas manufacturing plant and is polluted with volatile organic compounds and coal tar waste, according to records filed with the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Last week, the agency accepted an application from New York State Gas & Electric Corp. to determine the scope of pollution and clean the property under the state's Brownfield Cleanup Program.

Both the Washington Street site and a similar gas manufacturing plant on Court Street were operated by the Binghamton Gas & Electrical Co. in the late 19th century. NYSEG became responsible for both sites when it acquired Columbia Gas of New York in 1991.

The brownfield cleanup plan offers more promise to an area that has been rejuvenated by more than $9 million in public projects over the last decade. They include:

* Rebuilding the Washington Street pedestrian bridge spanning the Susquehanna River to the south.

* Rebuilding the Memorial Bridge spanning the Chenango River to the southwest.

* Developing a park and pedestrian walkway, beginning at the confluence of the two rivers. The walkway will eventually run north along the Chenango River, adjacent to the Newman property.

A $25 million university center a block to the north, also served by the pedestrian trail, is expected to be completed in the fall of 2007. The academic center will house Binghamton University and Broome Community College classes.

The public projects have been a powerful catalyst for development, said Binghamton Mayor Richard A. Bucci.

"It's not surprising that private development would follow," he said. "That part of Binghamton is experiencing a phenomenal transformation."

But much work has to be done to clean and market the former gas plant site -- a process that may take a year and half if all goes well, Kamlet said. The Newman group is committed to making the site fruitful. But that requires time and patience, he said.

The Newman group also owns a nearby lot once occupied by Henneken's Car Service, south of the Rexel site, close to the Washington Street Bridge.

"One day we might not have anything lined up, and the next, we might have a tenant," Kamlet said. "There is a lot of trial and error involved and eventually, if we are lucky, a match it made."

The environmental investigation will determine the scope of pollution and what cleanup is required, said Mary Jane Peachey, regional engineer with the DEC.

VOCs and coal tar waste can cause various illnesses in people exposed to them, although there are no signs that this is happening at the Washington Street site. The pollution can move with ground water if left unattended, she said. It also can degrade water quality and hurt wildlife in the rivers.

© 2005 Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin