
Builders in many markets struggling to find affordable land are turning to an unlikely resource for their next projects: landfills.
Closed landfills, even former Superfund sites, are becoming fair game for developers who use them for projects ranging from residential and commercial developments to solar farms, reports Green Building Advisor's Scott Gibson.
Landfills present several challenges including settling terrain, off gassing, and leaching of liquid waste but Gibson found that once engineers find ways around those problems, landfills can offer new acreage in areas where open space is hard to find. He reports on the Related Companies' experience developing a retail and residential complex on 40 acres of a former landfill in California.
The retail and residential village is part of the 240-acre CityPlace proposed by Related. When complete, CityPlace would include 5.7 million square feet of offices, 1.1 million square feet of retail space, 700 hotel rooms, and 1,360 apartments — the largest private development in Silicon Valley history. Construction could start late in 2017, providing that Related gets the remaining permits it needs.
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