Up to 100 jobs possible for former Northstar Aerospace site

The former Northstar Aerospace site on Bishop Street in Cambridge is pictured on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2015. (Max Wark / CTV Kitchener)

It’s been more than a decade since trouble first surfaced at the Northstar Aerospace facility on Bishop Street in Cambridge.

Hundreds of homes around the site were contaminated with trichloroethylene, otherwise known as TCE – a chemical known to cause cancer.

The company was ordered to pay affected residents $4.5 million in a class action lawsuit – compensation money that stopped flowing once the company declared bankruptcy.

For several years, the plant has sat empty.

Now, that’s about to change.

King and Benton, a Brantford-based developer, is looking to purchase the property.

Once the deal goes through, the company will apply for a demolition permit.

Firm president Steve Charest says he plans to split the property in two – tearing down half and redeveloping the other half.

“It’s always a great feeling when you can take an eyesore … and come up with an idea that can change the perception,” he said in an interview.

Ruth Gooding, who lives nearby, says the fear of TCE has lessened over time.

Checks of the air in her home are done regularly. Gooding says the amount of TCE in the air has lessened significantly over time, and is now virtually nil.

“I think most people have basically forgotten about it,” she said.

Charest says he’s in talks with businesses that are interested in the property, and could bring up to 100 jobs to Bishop Street.

Demolition work could begin within weeks, he said.