Neighbors Say Homes Were Built on Hidden Garbage Dump
Some neighbors in Orchard Park are concerned about a possible coverup, saying their homes were built on a hidden garbage dump. Investigative Reporter Luke Moretti has more on a developing story that we brought you first on News 4. Mike and Cindy Honer and Kristin Matteson say they want out. Orchard Park Homeowner Kristin Matteson: "I don't want anything to do with this subdivision. I don't want to drive by the Ryan Home Model every day. I just want to move my kids and my family to a safe environment."

Imagine paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for a new home only to find that your dream home is built on a dump site. That's the claim made by these Town of Orchard Park residents. Mike and Cindy Honer and Kristin Matteson say they want out. Orchard Park Homeowner Kristin Matteson: "I don't want anything to do with this subdivision. I don't want to drive by the Ryan Home Model every day. I just want to move my kids and my family to a safe environment."

The two families moved into their upscale Barrington Heights homes a year ago. This spring, the two residents uncovered a big surprise. Something the builder, Ryan Homes, never told them. 

Cindy Honer, Orchard Park Homeowner: "All of this is garbage. I don't want any of this."

Cindy Honer shows us her backyard littered with old bottles and cans. She showed us pictures of an an ash-like substance now covered over with top soil. Mike Honer: "We can't even go back there. We can't let the dogs back there. We can't let anybody go back there."

They even paid for their own soil and groundwater testing. 

It found that eleven of twenty two metals detected in soil samples were found at levels which exceed state environmental standards. Cindy Honer: "If my children ever got sick down the road I would never know if this was the cause of it, and I could never live with myself for doing such a thing."

The Honer and Matteson families have filed a lawsuit against Ryan Homes. The suit alleges the builder neglected to inform them their homes were built on a waste disposal site. They brought their fight to the Town of Orchard Park this week.

They were told building permits involving lots adjacent to them are on hold until testing is done. Cindy Honer: "Never, never, never feel safe here. We just want out." Even if takes yellow tape and signs out front of their homes. 

Kristin Matteson: "Just to show people what's going on here. We feel that other future homebuyers have a right to know what's in their neighborhood."

It's a fight these Barrington Heights residents say they won't give up. 

News 4 tried to contact Ryan Homes for a comment on Luke's story. So far the company has not return our calls.