A rendering of the Washington Avenue apartments slated for Dunkirk.

The state’s Department of Environmental Conservation is accepting comments through Nov. 8 on proposed cleanup plans for two Dunkirk sites slated for housing redevelopment.

The sites are 160-64 E. Fourth St. and the 200 block of Washington Avenue. Both sites are slated for apartment buildings in projects planned by Regan Development.

At the Fourth Street site, developers plan “Excavation and off-site disposal of contaminated soil to approximately 2 feet below ground surface across the majority of the site,” according to a DEC fact sheet. “Deeper excavation will be performed for development uses.”

Workers will collect and analyze soil samples “to evaluate the effectiveness of the cleanup.”

The Fourth Street site is next to the Save-a-Lot Plaza. “The site is 2.15 acres and contains a portion of a structure associated with a larger commercial plaza,” according to the fact sheet. “The portion of the plaza structure on the site includes two storefronts in the eastern central portion of the site.”

Historically the site of residences, the whole area was redeveloped into the plaza in 1985. Old-timers will recall that a Bells Supermarket anchored the plaza back then.

Regan Development now wants to revamp part of the area, which does not include the Save-a-Lot in the old Bells building or the shops to its east.

“Proposed site development includes demolition of existing structures, construction of multi-family apartment units, parking lot, and recreational/greenspace areas,” the DEC fact sheet states.

“The primary contaminants of concern at the site are volatile organic compounds, semi-volatile organic compounds and metals which are present site-wide in soils and soil vapor,” the sheet notes. Site developers will come up with a health and safety plan, and do air monitoring, during ground-intrusive activities.

The cleanup plan for the Washington Avenue site is similar. That is an 11-parcel amalgamation consisting of 1.36 acres and two buildings. 220 Washington Ave. hosts a fence and sign manufacturing company, but 208-14 Washington Ave. “is unsafe to enter and has recently been condemned by the city of Dunkirk,” according to the DEC fact sheet for that project.

The Washington Avenue site has had a dizzying variety of historic uses. It includes blacksmithing, wood shops, printing, painting, machine shops, and even malted milk manufacturing. Machinery such as wagon springs and dining cars for trains was manufactured on the site.

Regan Development plans to “demolish existing buildings” and undertake “construction of a three-story multifamily apartment building, associated parking area and recreational/greenspace areas.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced $11.1 million in state funding for the projects in March. The state also awarded $500,000 to the projects in its Downtown Revitalization Initiative for the city.

Dunkirk Planning Director Vince DeJoy emphasized back in March, “This isn’t HUD, Section 8-type housing. These are apartments for people who have jobs.” Some of the housing will be set aside for military veterans, he added.