Our Failed Contract w/ Ryland Homes Brickyard Station

So the other community that we strongly considered is the Ryland Homes Brickyard Station in Beltsville MD. We went to see this community immediately after our initial visit at Greenbelt, MD. We became interested in their Carbondale Urban model which featured a roof top terrance. It was below budget and the builder was including 15k closing and another 15k in options. Even though we didn't like it as much as the Andrew Carnegie townhouse, it met our needs and was priced right. After several visits and negotiations for additional incentives with the builder we decided to sign a contract. We were truly excited to be taking this step and were making all type of plans for the house.

During one of our meetings with the sales rep she mentioned the site was a former brickyard, hence the name of the development. Jokingly I said to her, "oh there aren't any chemicals in the ground right? She then says "Well it was a former brickyard". Then I asked her if they ever did an environmental impact report for the site. She hesitantly said they did and could get it to me. At that point I thought it probably was no big deal because how hazardous could bricks be. So we never get this report and I basically forget to ask again. Fast forward -- On the day we sign the contract and hand over our deposit I remember the report and ask that she send it to us immediately.

BUYER BEWARE

Under MD law you have 3 days to back out of a contract which would entitle you to a full refund. So I finally get the report  and on day 3 I decided to take the time to read this report. Apparently the soil on the site was contaminated by cancer causing chemicals from these in ground storage containers of hazardous chemicals used to make bricks. There was a removal done of the contaminated soil but it all couldn't be removed. The solution was to place 2ft of clean soil over the site. The report couldn't guarantee this contaminated soil could not resurface. We were not willing to take that kind of risk with our health or have that type of doubt in our minds if we or our dog got cancer. We've heard the horror stories and its usually hard to prove these thing. So with much disappointment we call our sales rep to cancel the contract. (It took over 2 months to get back our deposit after constant calling)

I changed my mind on reviewing this community even though there is a lot of upside such as the Marc, proximity to the beltway, ICC and future site of the Konterra shopping plaza . Unfortunately in our opinion we simply can not recommend Brickyard Station especially for those with children. Please feel free to ask any questions about the community and models.