Albemarle County has filed a suit seeking payment of back taxes on a 33.59 acre property owned by the Greenwood Chemical Company. The location was the site of a factory that made many components used in many industrial uses until a tragic accident in the 1980’s.
“Starting in 1947 a chemical manufacturing plant specializing in pharmaceutical intermediates began operations,” reads a 2023 report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on the clean-up of the site. “From 1947 until 1985, chemicals including pharmaceutical, dye and paint intermediates, plant growth regulators and photographic chemicals were manufactured on-site.”
An industrial explosion on April 18, 1985 killed four workers and led to the permanent closure of the site. The property was soon put on a list of priorities for clean-up by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
“Manufacturing activities ceased in 1985 following a toluene vapor explosion and fire that destroyed the process building and resulted in the deaths of four workers,” reads the EPA’s website. “Site activities, including the storage and disposal of leaking drums and the operation of seven uncontrolled wastewater treatment/disposal lagoons, contaminated soil, groundwater, surface water and sludge with hazardous chemicals.”
The most recent update on clean-up is from August 31, 2023. That’s the sixth five-year review by the EPA. You can take a look here.
But back to now. Whoever owns the property is being sued by Albemarle County.
“The object of this suit is to enforce the lien of the Complainant, County of Albemarle, Virginia, for delinquent real estate taxes against certain real property located in the County of Albemarle, Virginia,” reads a public notice in the September 12, 2026 Charlottesville Daily Progress.
According to the public notice, the county has tried to find the last known owners of the property but the last two known people are now deceased. Anyone who thinks they have a claim are ordered to tell the Clerk of the Albemarle County Circuit Court by 9 a.m. October 30, 2026.
The parcel is assessed at $100 and has been since 2014 when the value was lowered from a 2013 value of $65,400.
Heidi Brown wrote a long article about the site in the September 7, 2018 Crozet Gazette that tells the story of the company which founded by DuPont chemist F.O. “Neil” Cockerille in 1947. It became Greenwood Chemical in 1967 and there were a string of other accidents and environmental mishaps before the explosion.
“The accident shed light on a host of environmental catastrophes at the site,” Brown wrote. “For decades it had been the burial ground of nearly 600 leaking chemical drums and cylinders.”
The site has been a U.S. EPA Superfund site since 1987.
Brown also reported that Albemarle County did not know in 2018 who the owners were.
Before you go: The goal of Town Crier Productions is to increase awareness about what is happening at the local, regional, state, and federal government levels. Please share the work with others if you want people to know things. Paid subscribers cover the cost of conducting research for this article which was originally published in the September 14, 2026 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement. You can either subscribe through Substack or make a charitable contribution.
Discover more from Information Charlottesville
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
