American By Products owner planning to stay put

LYNN – An architect has drawn a plan for the former American By Products site on Andrew Street that was ravaged by a fire in February, according to attorney Sam VitaliEstimated to cost between $800,000 to $1 million to develop, owner Joe Cormier is currently waiting for prices from a contractor to transform two of the four sites destroyed by flames. He is hoping to rebuild his business that that collects old grease from restaurants and transports it to local companies.?He is going to construct solely for his business needs with a garage that would hold his trucks on the 16,800 square foot L-shaped lot closest to Andrew Street,” he said. “The two other lots, one of which has his trucks on it now, could be developed by other businesses.”Vitali said he has received numerous calls from businesses expressing interest in the marketable sites, but stressed that a decision has not yet been made.?If people gave the right amount, he would consider it,” he said. “The corner lot by Andrew and Central streets has a lot of visibility, so because of that, we are doing some core samples of the soil which we think will turn out fine.”In February, a four-alarm blaze started in the by-products building and quickly spread to two buildings that Cormier rented out n Hatch Hearing Aid Center and the office of Bratton & Springer, LLP.The Good Samaritan Church was also damaged in the fire that was determined to have been caused by spontaneous combustion of work gloves.City officials raised eyebrows over Cormier rebuilding on the same spot because of the close proximity to downtown residences, but offered to help him with financial assistance.Vitali said once Cormier knows an exact dollar amount, he would approach the city.?There are some proceeds from fire insurance, and the Economic Development & Industrial Corporation (EDIC) expressed interest in helping, but until you know what you need, you don?t know what to ask for,” he said. “He?s basically looking to get any assistance that he can and he intends to stay on Andrew Street.”The other sites Cormier reportedly explored include the East Coast Seafood site on Alley Street, another spot on the Lynnway where American By Products is currently operating, and a body shop on Fayette Street Extension.