From the 1950s through the early 1990s, the Market Creek Plaza property was home to Fleet Aerospace, Inc.’s Langley Facility. Fleet Aerospace is a company that built and tested aircraft for space travel. During operations, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethene (PCE) were used. Some of these chemicals were spilled or released into soil and groundwater. The facility closed in the early 1990s.

After the closure, Fleet Aerospace conducted environmental investigations and cleanup under regulatory oversight to address the known releases:

• The San Diego County Department of Environmental Health oversaw the removal and cleanup of a 2,000-gallon machine oil tank.

• The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) oversaw site cleanup from 1990-1996.

As part of DTSC’s oversight, soil and groundwater were studied and DTSC determined that no further action was required at the property at that time. Following and relying on that finding, MCP acquired the property and constructed the Market Creek Plaza Shopping Center in 2000.