02-03-2015, 03:37 PM
(02-03-2015, 07:21 AM)Drake Wrote: And as I have had second thoughts about this thread, I am now wondering: as we transition to electric cars are we going to see our future cities dotted with these former gas stations? Will future cities allow these sites to be abandoned seemingly forever?
I could foresee a situation where a charging station is put in on top of an existing gas station without disturbing the subsoil. Alternately, a gas station might install a charging station and slowly transition the others. Long-term, I expect that the oil/energy companies will have a significant stake in electric charging anyways.
Long term remediation would probably depend on what the insurance companies say. Remember knob and tube wiring and asbestos? Insurance companies are pretty good at convincing property owners to remove it whenever it is discovered.
On the list of properties that have been successfully redeveloped, I believe the current HSBC building at King/William in Waterloo was a service station many years ago.