By JIM BUTLER

The City of Alexandria will hold a public hearing next week on its intent to move forward with a brownfield cleanup of the former Rush Cleaners site on Bolton Avenue.

One the site is restored the city’s plan is to move the ATRANS transfer hub from 2nd & Murray to the former laundry tract.

The hearing on the proposal will be at 6 p.m. November 8 at the Bolton Avenue Community Center.

Brownfield refers to land previously used for commercial or industrial purposes and likely containing hazardous waste or pollution.

Rush operated on the 210 Bolton site for the last half of the 20th century. The city over time has purchased what is now essentially slum property.

Previous testing found no asbestos in the dilapidated structures on site but detected very high concentrations of carcinogenic dry cleaning chemicals in groundwater and soil tests to a depth of 32 feet.

EPA funding is being sought for the cleanup. With proper remediation and restoration the site can be reclaimed for other uses.

In this case, that would be as the focal point of a revitalized sector – safe, walkable, transit-oriented, with public and private investment.