The West Covina City Council has forged an exclusive negotiating agreement with Singpoli Group LLC that could bring an amusement park to a former BKK landfill site in the city.

Pending approval, Singpoli President and CEO Kin Hui said he hopes to complete the project — which could span as many as 200 acres — within a few years.

“I believe when this beautiful park is completed it will attract tourists from all over the Americas and Asia and other parts of the world,” Hui said. “This will give West Covina a prominent place on the world map.”

A portion of the park would be built on 122 acres the city owns, but plans to sell the remaining 84 acres would be leased to Singpoli.

From zip lines to virtual reality?

City Manager Chris Freeland said the city envisions an entertainment complex that could include everything from a zip line ride to virtual reality attractions that are interactive.

“We want something that is totally unique to the area,” he said. “We’re looking for something that will put us on the map and generate revenue for the city. There are also possibilities for hotels and restaurants. There could be a regional spin-off.”

The city is required to sell the 122-acre portion of the property under requirements associated with the dissolution of redevelopment agencies in California.

Singpoli will return in 90 days with a project plan

“When the property is sold the revenue will be divided up between the city and other local taxing entities, including school districts and the county of Los Angeles,” Freeland said. “Singpoli will have 90 days to look at the site and come up with a vision as to how they want to develop the land. If the council likes what it sees, that could be extended for an additional 90 days for further due diligence.”

If all goes well, the city would then negotiate a sale and development agreement with Singpoli and the project would move forward with community meetings and an environmental impact report.

“They haven’t given a time line but they say it’s in their best interests to move as quickly as possible,” Freeland said. “From what we’ve seen, that’s the way operate. Once they make a commitment … they move forward.”

Singpoli to partner with others on the project

Singpoli plans to partner with Hong Kong development firm Lan Kwai Fong Group(LKF) and Tom Mehrmann, chief executive of Ocean Park Corp., to develop the proposed outdoor recreational park. Both have experience working on park development. LKF founder Allen Zeman was successful in transforming Ocean Park in Hong Kong into an award winning amusement park that has been recognized as a World’s Top Theme Park.

History of the BKK Landfill

The BKK Landfill functioned as two landfills.

The now-closed landfills are located at 2210 Azusa Ave., West Covina and the landfill covered 583 acres. To the southeast, several homes are only 25 to 50 feet away from the BKK property, according to a report from 2005 on closure and monitoring from the state Department of Toxic and Substance Control.

The Class I landfill accepted hazardous waste. The Class III landfill portion accepted nonhazardous, solid household waste.

The hazardous waste landfill began operating in 1963 and continued to accept hazardous liquid waste through 1984 when it stopped receiving most types of hazardous waste. According to the DTSC report, from 1972 through 1984 the landfill accepted approximately 3.4 million tons of hazardous waste in addition to large amounts of nonhazardous waste. Examples of the kinds of waste buried at the landfill include: Wastes disposed at the BKK Class 1 landfill include (but are not limited to) asbestos; acid and alkaline solutions and sludges; cyanide wastes; contaminated soils, drilling muds and petroleum wastes; heavy metal solutions; oils; paint wastes; plating solutions; pesticides; polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); phenolic wastes; and solvents, according to the report.

BKK’s hazardous waste landfill continued operating, receiving only asbestos waste until 1987. Actual closure of the landfill was completed and certified by BKK in 1991.

The Class III landfill accepted municipal waste from 1987 to 1996.

Industry experts weigh in

Phil Lempert, a Santa Monica-based expert on consumer behavior and marketing trends, figures Singpoli may be onto something — especially if they incorporate virtual reality into the mix.

“If you look at Generation Z — those people who are now between 5 and 20 years old — that kind of experience is very important to them because they are the first-ever fully digital generation,” he said. “Millennials touched on it, but Generation Z grew up to embrace it. If they create an amusement park that’s based on virtual reality and artificial intelligence versus Ferris wheels and roller coasters, I think it could have legs.”

Lempert said the park’s success would also depend largely on keeping costs down.

“Millennials are financially strapped with many still living at home to pay off college debt,” he said. “So if they develop great value for the attractions that could be a home run. It can’t be where a customer says, ‘I could buy my own VR headset for what it would cost me to go here twice.’”

Paul Ruben, North American editor for the industry trade publication Park World, noted that VR experiences are typically “low capacity attractions,” in that few visitors can participate in such attractions at any given time. But Southern California’s temperate climate is a plus, he said, because it allows amusement parks to operate year round.

Staff writer Steve Scauzillo contributed to this report.