Legal woes plaguing Swampscott

SWAMPSCOTT – Town Administrator Tom Younger revealed during a Finance Committee meeting the town was $145,000 over its legal budget due to three outstanding important cases.The Greenwood Avenue suit topped the list, costing the town $90,000 in the last year. The case went to Massachusetts Land Court when neighbors of the former middle school at 71 Greenwood Ave. sued the town for accepting Groom Construction?s plan to turn the property into a 41-unit condominium complex, claiming it was unlawful spot zoning.In January 2013, the plaintiff?s attorney Carl Goodman said it could be days or months before the judge made a decision. On Thursday night, Younger said they were still awaiting the decision of the judge.The second outstanding case, costing the town $35,000 in fiscal year 2013, was that of the Phillips Beach property as the town struggled with a private trust to prove who owns the beach.?Hopefully in the near future we will have a resolution on that,” said Younger to Finance Committee members during discussion of the end of the 2013 fiscal year budget.Younger said in order to buy the property, the town would need permission from voting members at a fall Town Meeting.The third case, costing the town $21,500, was a zoning enforcement case that involved a resident whose property straddles the Lynn-Swampscott line, said Younger. Neighbors of the resident complained to the town that he was running a wood-chopping business, and so the resident had incurred several fines for zoning enforcement. He appealed, leading the town into court to uphold the enforcement, said Younger.Kait Taylor can be reached at [email protected].