Session Laws

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Notwithstanding the provisions of sections forty E to forty K, inclusive, of chapter seven of the General Laws and pursuant to the provisions of Article 97 of the Amendments to the Massachusetts Constitution, the commissioner of the division of capital planning and operations is hereby authorized to acquire for nominal consideration certain real property located in the city of Lawrence for construction of a courthouse. Said land is described as follows: A certain parcel of land with the buildings thereon situated in Lawrence, Essex County, Massachusetts and bounded: Northerly by Methuen Street; Easterly by Appleton Street; Southerly by the northerly line of Canal Street; and Westerly by Lawrence Street. Together with the right to use the sidewalks and the street in said Canal Street abutting the aforesaid parcel of land for all the usual purposes of a highway and also the right to use the railway spur track in said Canal Street between Appleton Street and Canal Street and adjacent to and nearest to the building on the above described premises.

SECTION 2. Use of said parcel shall be restricted to courthouse purposes. In the event that construction of a courthouse has not commenced within five years of conveyance, or if the use for the aforesaid purpose ceases at any time, the property shall revert to the Lawrence Redevelopment Authority to be used in accordance with the provisions of chapter five hundred and twelve of the acts of nineteen hundred and eighty, and this act shall be null and void.

SECTION 3. The Lawrence Redevelopment Authority is hereby authorized and directed to convey the real property described in section one to the commonwealth for the construction of a courthouse.

SECTION 4. The department of environmental management is hereby directed to authorize the release of any agreements entered into between the Lawrence Redevelopment Authority and the department of environmental management pursuant to chapter five hundred and twelve of the acts of nineteen hundred and eighty, said agreement being chapter 512-21 of 1980, as dated February 5, 1985 and as amended on August 5, 1986 and again on January 12, 1988. The department of environmental management shall condition such release upon whether the commonwealth's acquisition and use of said parcel is in accordance with the provisions described in section two of this act.

SECTION 5. The commonwealth of Massachusetts shall provide the department of environmental management with design plans of the exterior of the courthouse and related landscaping for review. The purpose of such review is to ensure that the design of said facility is compatible with the adjacent Lawrence Heritage State Park and Canal Street restoration.

SECTION 6. This act shall take effect upon its passage.