Lynn building demolition put on hold

LYNN – The demolition for the last of the two abandoned apartment buildings located behind Christie’s at the Nahant Rotary is in limbo, according to Economic Development and Industrial Corporation Executive Director James Cowdell.The first building was razed June 4, but after unfounded speculation that the second building was contaminated, and a demolition crew tied up with another project in Boston, the second building has sat idle ever since.Now, Cowdell said the Dean family, which owns Christie’s at 17 Lynnway, has run into some trouble with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and has had to hire an engineer at the DEP’s request to evaluate the old building before it could be torn down.”We basically ran into some permitting issues with the DEP for the demolition,” Cowdell said. “I don’t understand why they needed one to begin with because it wasn’t a requirement for the first building.”In an effort to appease the DEP, Cowdell said the family hired an engineer to check out the long since vacant building, who in turn signed off on it and said it was sound.The DEP, however, was reportedly not happy with the Dean’s choice of engineer and ordered them to go back to square one.”The DEP said no, you have to hire a structural engineer instead to do the assessment,” he said. “So now, we should have a date set for the demolition in a couple of days.”Baiting for rodents was placed at the site of the first demolition, and is expected to be in place for the second round.Identified as a key parcel of the Waterfront Master Plan, city officials have labeled the Christie’s site as the first step of the implementation of the plan.Once the final apartment building is torn down, Cowdell said funding would have to be secured for the demolition of Christie’s and the proposed plan to replace the 100-year-old city landmark.The family has expressed interest in creating a mixed-use building on the site with a first floor family style restaurant and three floors of residential space situated above it.The project is estimated to cost between $6-7 million.George Dean declined to comment on the situation.