Boston – Goodwin Procter attorneys represented our pro bono client Lazarus House Ministries in obtaining nearly $6.2 million in public and private financing for the construction of a transitional housing facility in Lawrence, Massachusetts. The organization, which has been providing homeless services in Lawrence for more than 25 years, runs, among other enterprises, a homeless shelter, several thrift shops, an HIV/AIDS service center, a food pantry and a commercial cleaning service. Now, Lazarus will be operating a housing facility that allows area homeless shelter residents to live in a supportive environment before making the transition to independent living.
The team was led by Adam Weisenberg and Diane McCabe, with advice on zoning matters and opinions from Marty Healy. Will Havemeyer assisted with both permitting and finance matters. Bruce Tribush negotiated the construction and architect contracts. Katie Murphy assisted on leasing matters and Lisa Keith oversaw document management during the closing process. Ellie Simon played a key role in forming entities and organizing the corporate records.
Goodwin Procter represented Lazarus House on both the finance and permitting aspects of the transaction. In 2005, firm attorneys secured a decision from the Lawrence Zoning Board of Appeals that the project was eligible for the protections of the Dover Amendment – a provision of the Massachusetts Zoning Act that exempts educational, religious and child care uses from zoning regulation and only allows municipalities to impose reasonable dimensional regulations.