The Riverview Innovation & Technology Campus (RITC) will be constructed on the former Tonawanda Coke property, 3875 River Road and 3800 River Road, Tonawanda, in Erie County. Comprised of approximately 140 acres, the site was home to an operating coke facility for more than 100 years prior to closing in October 2018.
Today, the site is being remediated by experienced brownfield developer Jon M. Williams and Honeywell. Williams, President of RITC, completed his acquisition of the property on October 10, 2019, with a long-term vision for the cleanup and redevelopment, putting the site back into productive use. Williams has said, “Once the site has been cleaned up, it has attributes that support data and technology-focused redevelopment. The investment and job-creation opportunity, in a long-term view, is very achievable.”
The Tonawanda Community Working Group produced a progress report in December 2022 which is posted here and on the Town’s website: https://www.tonawanda.ny.us/development/tonawanda-community-working-group.html
RITC is responsible for investigation, management, and remediation of the 86+ acre brownfield site. Honeywell is responsible for three State Superfund portions of the property.
On February 14, 2020, RITC’s application to conduct the site remediation and restoration under the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (NYSDEC) Brownfield Cleanup Program was accepted by the agency.
NYSDEC also announced a new Consent Order under the State Superfund program with Honeywell for three separate sections of the property. A Honeywell predecessor company owned the site prior to 1978.
See complete NYSDEC announcement.
“I am proud of the lead role DEC took in permanently shuttering Tonawanda Coke to protect the environment and public health of Western New York communities. Now, with the agreements announced today, DEC will ensure the former plant site will be responsibly and aggressively cleaned up under the State's strict standards so that it can be redeveloped and help contribute to the region's economy.”
- New York State Commissioner Basil Seggos
“With today’s decision by the DEC, we are taking a critical step forward in creating a new future for Tonawanda and the surrounding community. Former industrial sites don’t have to be permanent scars on our community. They can be cleaned up, using scientific rigor and regulatory enforcement, and ultimately reborn into economic contributors for today’s economy and for years to come. The Brownfield Cleanup Program is the best vehicle to make this possible. Working with Honeywell, the DEC, elected leaders and the community, we are going to work aggressively to fulfill both sides of the equation - a cleaned up site that closes the chapter on how a former facility impacted a neighborhood, and a new path that brings private investment, economic expansion and job creation to Tonawanda by way of Riverview Innovation and Technology Campus. We are grateful to the many throughout the community who took an active and vested position in the future of this site, and to DEC for its leadership and thoughtful review in determining how best to move forward.”
- Jon Williams, President
“New York State’s decision to accept the Riverview Innovation & Technology Campus into the Brownfield Cleanup Program is a critical step in ensuring that the former Tonawanda Coke site is cleaned up and returned to the community for productive use. Honeywell will submit a work plan for the three State Superfund areas by mid-May 2020. We will continue to work with government officials, Jon Williams, and the community on this important cleanup and restoration.”
- Honeywell
Using world-class science, design, and engineering to protect human health and the environment, Jon Williams and Honeywell are committed to deploying experts in the field and working cooperatively with government agencies and local communities to achieve a successful cleanup and restoration of the site.