South Lyon City Council members say they want more information before agreeing to begin the process of ending oversight of a piece of contaminated land.

The municipal parking lot at 128 S. Lafayette Street is owned by the city, but was contaminated over a five-year period in the late 80’s and early 90’s when an Amoco gas station stood on the property. It has since undergone extensive remediation paid for by BP North America, which merged with Amoco in 1998. BP is now seeking to add a restrictive covenant to the property deed, which would be the first step toward ending their oversight of the land, while also alerting future owners of the property about its history. BP says that while the site still has remnants of contamination, it is considered safe for use. The lot is also currently home to the South Lyon Farmer’s Market.

BP’s consultant says contamination levels have steadily been decreasing and any additional actions to accelerate that process are no longer feasible. It is offering to pay the city $15,000 to cover the costs of putting the covenant in place, including inspecting test wells the company wants to eventually close down. Several council members indicated they would like to see updated information in document form and tabled the issue until next month for further discussion. Picture courtesy of Google Street View. (JK)