Sometimes it’s not just ornery neighbors complaining about traffic who hold up plans for new housing, but rival developers as well.
A Suffolk County Superior Court judge has ordered a major South End property owner to pay $11.6 million in damages, capping a decade of litigation, according to court records.
Arthur
Leon and JACE Boston allegedly spent years abusing the city zoning
appeals process, all in a bid to derail plans for a rival $20 million
high-end condo project at 477 Harrison, next door to one of their own
properties, court records show.
The
attempt failed, but not before delaying plans for what are now the
Jordan Lofts, driving the developer, John Holland, to the brink of
bankruptcy.
Holland
was forced to scale back some of his plans for pricier second-floor
units, costing him $6 million, according to court filings, and even
faced an outlandish criminal complaint from Leon, which was dismissed.
Leon claimed he had his own plans for a big mixed-use project, Holland testified during court proceedings.
Ironically,
given his own alleged efforts at obstruction, Leon was concerned about
Holland’s plans to build pricey penthouses, arguing it would attract
rich people who would then object to his plans to redevelop his own
building, Holland testified.
“There
is no question that defendants’ unethical, unscrupulous, and unfair
trade practices injured plaintiff and caused it to substantially delay
and redesign the 477 Harrison development to its financial detriment,”
wrote James Budreau, a Suffolk County Superior Court judge, in his
ruling.
Ouch! Scott van Voorhis is a longtime Boston reporter specializing in real estate and is the publisher of Contrarian Boston.
