NORTHAMPTON — A large commercial lot on King Street that has lain vacant for 18 years has been bought by Cosenzi Auto Realty, part of the TommyCar Auto Group that operates five dealerships in western Massachusetts.
The 5.35-acre site comprising two parcels at 171-187 King St. was last home to Don Lia’s Honda dealership. The purchase price was listed at $5.25 million, though it was unclear if that was the price paid for each parcel or both.
An attempt to reach Lia at Huntington Honda in New York was unsuccessful Thursday. Cosenzi representatives did not return several messages seeking comment this week. The company operates Country Nissan in Hadley and Country Hyundai, Genesis of Northampton, Volvo Cars Pioneer Valley and Northampton Volkswagen in Northampton.
Contaminated soil at the lot between King Street and the rail trail hindered its reuse for many years after it was vacated by the Honda dealership in 2005. In 2015, GZA GeoEnvironmental of Norwood conducted cleanup of arsenic, lead and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at the site.
The cleanup followed settlement of a lawsuit Lia filed against Environmental Compliance Services Inc., the company he accused of failing to find or report the contamination during its inspection when he purchased the property in 2001 for $710,000. Details of the settlement were not disclosed.
The property was previously owned by Massachusetts Electric Co., also a defendant in Lia’s suit, and court documents showed it had been used as a railroad junkyard from 1928 to 1965.
After the former dealership showroom and service buildings were demolished in 2014, the site was paved over, which the Department of Environmental Protection considered a safe way to prevent exposure to any contaminated soil.
Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra said she is eager to hear more about what Cosenzi has planned for the property that has been unused for so long.
“The city always welcomes commerce back to vacant properties, and we’ve long respected Ms. Cosenzi as a sound leader running successful businesses in Northampton,” Sciarra said in a statement.