LA Metro Sues Prologis Over Contaminated Site Near Chinatown
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, or Metro, is suing Prologis over a site at 203 East College St., not far from the Chinatown stop on the L Line light rail.
In a lawsuit filed March 7 in federal court, Metro alleges that former owners and lessees of the property, through the course of their work at the site, released hazardous substances into the soil and groundwater at the property and didn't tell Metro, which now owns the property. The Real Deal was the first to report the complaint.
Metro is requesting a jury trial and is suing for the more than $40K it spent investigating the contamination and for the total costs of cleaning up the site, which it estimates could top $10M.
The suit identifies Prologis as one of the former owners of the property, but it isn't the only former owner named in the complaint. Cattelus Development Corp., the real estate development arm of the railroad company Santa Fe Pacific Corp., and two metal fabrication companies that leased the site are also named.
Representatives for Prologis and Metro didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
