cleanup · Erie County
Gleason's Nursery
Amherst
Former nursery and landscaping property at 4774–4780 Sheridan Drive where pesticides, metals, PAHs, and herbicides in soil prompted an ongoing Brownfield Cleanup Program investigation.
The documented story
What happened here?
The 5.08-acre Sheridan Drive property was used for nursery and landscaping operations beginning in the 1950s. Earlier investigations detected pesticides, metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and herbicides in soil.
The property entered New York's Brownfield Cleanup Program in 2025. The approved investigation is designed to define conditions in soil, groundwater, and soil vapor before residential redevelopment decisions are finalized.
Chronology in context
Turning points in the public record
1950s onward
Nursery and landscaping uses occupied the property.
2024–2025
The applicant entered the Brownfield Cleanup Program and DEC reviewed a remedial investigation work plan.
Current
Test pits, borings, monitoring wells, and soil-vapor sampling are planned or underway to define the nature and extent of contamination.
Chemical guide
Chemicals named in this record
These links explain potential hazards and exposure pathways. A chemical named in a record does not establish that anyone was exposed or harmed.
Environmental record
Documented impacts
- Previous investigations detected pesticides, metals, PAHs, and herbicides in soil.
Response
Cleanup and controls
- No final remedy is presented because the remedial investigation remains the controlling current phase.
Then and now
The site today
Residential redevelopment is proposed, subject to investigation, remedy selection, and agency oversight.
Research status
Open questions
- Update from the remedial investigation report when DEC approves it; do not infer groundwater or vapor impacts before results are published.