April
9,
2007
By Sean Leonard/The Daily Item
The city has entered into negotiations with the Athanas
family on potential redevelopment of the former Anthony's
Hawthorne Restaurant, and has suspended any move toward
taking the property by eminent domain.
James Cowdell, executive director of the Lynn Economic
Development and Industrial Corp., began the process of
an eminent domain in February, when he sought support for
that action by the EDIC board on the basis that the centrally
located downtown property has remained shuttered for more
than five years.
But on Monday, Cowdell said the Athanas
family has come to the table to discuss proposals, and
that progress is being made. He said he and others from
the EDIC met last week with a lawyer representing the
family, Wig Zamore, and Zamore expressed that the family
is willing to work with us."
Cowdell said there is a proposal from an interested buyer
before the family, but that it's premature to identify
the prospective buyer or discuss details of that plan.
"We're supposed to meet again
within a couple of weeks, and as long as we're making
progress and are in talks with the family, we won't even
consider eminent domain."
Mayor Edward J. Clancy Jr. said that recent stories in
the Daily Item have sparked the interest of at least one
other party in the redevelopment of the site.
"I used to take my mother and my aunt to eat at Anthony's
for years, and I used to hold my fund-raisers at Pier 4
in Boston. Their father (late restaurateur Anthony Athanas)
always went out of his way to accommodate people.
"Eminent domain would be like
the 9th inning with two outs and a full count; the last
thing we want to do is be confrontational with the Athanas
family. But having said that, there are people who are
interested in that site and at some point, the family
has to entertain proposals. I think the site is going
to move forward soon."
Messages seeking comment from the Athanas family were
not immediately returned.
The property at 35-37 Central Ave., which includes the
former restaurant and 32,000 square feet of parking, was
recently appraised for $850,000, and the property generates
nearly $13,000 in taxes annually, which are paid in full.
|
