Ames’ North Grand Mall is still planning expansion, but will not do so with additional land.

L&H Real Estate Group, which owns North Grand Mall, did not purchase the land south of its property because of concerns with a leaking underground fuel tank on the property at the Kwik Shop, 24th St. and Grand Ave.

The North Grand Shopping Center, which includes 15 stores, is located on land south of Sears.

The leak was discovered in 1990, said Elaine Douskey, Department of Natural Resources coordinator for underground tank storage in central Iowa.

Douskey said the leak is classified as “high risk.”

A leak is considered a risk when the contamination of ground water and soil is considered above normal and there are places where people can be exposed, Douskey said.

Locations are considered high risk if they are near a basement or sewer.

“[High risk sites are] at a level that becomes a concern for vapors to get into basements and sewers,” she said. “Just the presence of a basement or sewer — it raises a red flag. It’s not to say there are fumes in basements or sewers at all.”

In May, the owners of the property submitted a report asking for the classification of the site to be downgraded, but the report has not been reviewed, Douskey said.

The leak is not uncommon, Douskey said. There are 5,800 to 6,000 leak sites identified in the state, and half have been deemed not a risk.

“I would say [it is common] more so from past use than current use,” she said.

Despite not purchasing the land, L&H Real Estate Group is still “committed to the mall’s expansion,” according to a statement released by the company.

“Unfortunately, we were not granted an extension for the option from the current landowners, which would allow us additional time to further examine the situation and find a possible solution,” Gerry Curciarello, L&H chief financial officer said in the statement.

Erb Hunziker, one of the owners of the land parcel, said the option to purchase the land expired Monday without being used.

L&H Real Estate had asked for an additional six months to make a decision on the land purchase, but tenants of the stores were told they would know Dec. 1 if the land would be purchased.

“We didn’t think it was fair to the tenants we have there,” Hunziker said.

The parcel of land would add to the size of North Grand Mall’s expansion, Curciarello said. “We are still very serious about purchasing this parcel of land.”

An increase in the size of the mall from 350,000 square feet to 500,000 square feet is still planned.