Woodard & Curran executed the safe and cost-effective decommissioning, demolition, and beneficial reuse planning of a historic industrial site in Massachusetts.
Since 2007, Woodard & Curran has supported Schneider Electric USA with environmental risk management, remediation, environmental regulatory compliance, and industrial water management at the company’s historic manufacturing facility in Foxboro, Massachusetts. This partnership has endured across nearly two decades, a shifting regulatory landscape, and significant operational changes. With manufacturing activities moved offsite as of 2019, our experts have collaborated with the Schneider team to decommission the former factory and pursue a range of beneficial reuse opportunities for the 55-acre property.
The decommissioning, abatement and demolition of a 75-year-old, 350,000-square-foot former manufacturing facility is a complex and inherently risky undertaking; nevertheless, the Woodard & Curran team’s ability to plan, execute and deliver outstanding results under demanding conditions and at scale exceeded all expectations.
The original brick industrial buildings on the Foxboro parcel were constructed in the 1890s by the Van Choate Electric Company. The business, which would later become the Foxboro Company, purchased the property in 1908 to develop and manufacture innovative electrical controls to support the growing popularity of electricity in homes and businesses throughout the U.S.
Toward the end of the 20th century, Foxboro Company was acquired by Invensys, an electrical manufacturer that has since been acquired by Schneider Electric. Innovations and manufacturing processes have evolved significantly over this property’s 125-plus-year history. In 2019, market conditions led Schneider to move operations off site. In the absence of industrial activity, the client is pursuing opportunities for beneficial reuse.
square feet demolished
tons of materials removed
hours worked safely
We planned and implemented demolition of the Foxboro facility in three phases to optimize safety and efficiency. Strategic phasing was key to mitigating risk and cost in demolishing a rapidly deteriorating 670,000 -square-foot portion of the factory along with related closure activities, distributed throughout 30-plus industrial buildings across the Neponset Campus.
The decommissioning stage involved general cleanout, including the decontamination and removal of industrial equipment and furnishings. Operational units and pipelines were cleaned and flushed using the onsite treatment system, which remained operational throughout decommissioning. Our environmental, health, and safety experts guided appropriate disposal of chemical, industrial, and universal waste, and we performed a hazardous building materials (HBM) survey for key HBMs including asbestos and PCBs.
Throughout the make-safe condition phase, our team ensured necessary utilities and safety measures remained in place and operational while interior HBM abatement was completed. This included low-level steam boiler operation; fire suppression systems; dry weather treatment system, and sump groundwater collection and discharge. Maintaining security was also paramount, and we implemented remote camera monitoring as opposed to manned security for better and more cost-effective coverage.
The final demolition was carefully staged to optimize safety and environmental protection. Woodard & Curran performed planning and permitting, and established strategic sequencing to minimize downtime and ensure compliance. Once interior HBM abatement was completed, steam and heat utilities were permanently sunsetted. We followed with selective demolition, exterior hazardous material abatement, and structural demolition. All that remains on the northern portion of the site are slab foundations. The original 1890-1920 vintage factory still stands at the southern end of the campus, cleaned out and primed for reengineering of the public safety systems and productive reuse.
With demolition complete, the business of positioning the site for beneficial reuse is underway. Woodard & Curran remains heavily involved with planning, permitting, and compliance support. Our experts in community and land use planning have outlined a range of distinct opportunities within the footprint of the former facility, ranging from habitat reclamation to medium-density mixed use and residential development.
Below is a conceptual drawing Woodard & Curran created during the visioning process for beneficial reuse of the site, depicting potential housing, commercial, and community amenities.
While the dilapidated portion of the factory itself is gone, there are still constraints and considerations for redevelopment. Long-term remediation efforts have substantially mitigated environmental risks that would prevent repositioning of the site, however, there are still areas where more work will need to be done to accommodate certain beneficial reuse scenarios.
There is an additional challenge in stormwater permitting. Runoff flows to two streams, each with different compliance and permitting requirements. Whatever the future reuse scenario, stormwater management will need to be reconfigured.
Woodard & Curran continues to serve as the program manager, supporting system operation and permit compliance while the client explores beneficial reuse options for the site. We are conducting design and scenario planning for alternatives to minimize long-term liability and re-engineering stormwater systems at the northern portion of the campus.
