By Jay Lancaster
The Zoning Board of Appeals approved construction of a new mutli-use business park Tuesday night. The lot at Heath’s Court on River Street will be host a variety of businesses once construction is completed. Proponents of the project cite it’s expected economic impact as the driving force behind the appeals board’s vote to approve construction.
Gerardo Raffaele highlighted the challenges faced by small business owners who may not have places of their own to set up shop. “Businesses thriving right now, a lot of these businesses have their personal vehicles parked in their backyards and we’re trying to eliminate that and make the city a little bit better by having small spaces for small business. That’s what it’s all about.”
When asked about how the community could benefit from the project, Thomas Demakis, an area lawyer advocating for the proposal, gave a similar assessment of the difficulties facing small-business owners in Lynn. “There’s a lot of contractors, plumbers, electricians, etcetera that just can’t find a good place to run their business.”
The proposal was well-received by members of the zoning board of appeals, specifically Jeanne Curley, who was excited at what she saw as an opportunity to renew a neglected part of the city. “It’s such a dump down there and it’s been such a dump, that I think this is going to be absolutely fabulously wonderful. I’m very happy. And it’s gonna have an auto-body, not gonna have fixing cars outside or anything like that. The landscaping will be beautiful, have an eight-foot wall, the neighbors were very happy to have it and it’s a very honorable gentleman who’s building it. That goes for a lot.”