by Kathy Para
JBA Pro Bono Committee Chair
The area around the triangle of Moncrief Road, Myrtle Avenue and West 26th Street has languished for years, but recently, the pro bono efforts of the Foley & Lardner law firm helped create an exciting new project to revitalize the area.
By way of background, the Northwest Jacksonville Community Development Corporation was formed in 2001 to improve the quality of life in the area.
NJCDC has since built 69 homes, including a 15-unit subdivision, Golfair Estates, that is wired for high-speed Internet access and equipped with Energy Star-rated appliances.
Along with new development, NJCDC offers strong community leadership and garners resources from outside organizations also seeking to create change in this area of town.
NJCDC’s latest venture, North Point Town Center, is the corporation’s first office and retail project, located on Moncrief Road between Myrtle Avenue North and West 26th Street.
North Point I will also be the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) project for the group, with a projected cost of $3.3 million.
JALA’s Community Counsel attorney, Carol Miller, provides the NJCDC with legal advice and seeks pro bono help for NJCDC projects.
When Miller learned of NJCDC’s need for legal help to build the North Point Town Center, the first person she called was Emerson Lotzia, a consistent volunteer for Community Counsel and partner at Foley & Lardner.
Lotzia specializes in real estate financing, development and leasing matters. He is also certified to advise clients on LEED and Energy Performance Contract legal issues.
Lotzia once again donated his time by working on the loan and grant closing documents, LEED issues with the loan documents and construction contract and preliminary leasing issues.
Lotzia brought in other Foley lawyers and real estate paralegal Tana Stringfellow to help with the North Point I project.
Joanna White worked on easement issues on a closed right of way, Ryan Maloney helped on the construction contract, Tom Maurer, an environmental attorney with the Orlando office, worked on brownfield issues, and Stringfellow helped with survey and title issues.
The firm put so much time into this project, it would have collected about $150,000 in legal fees had the firm lawyers not agreed to donate their time.
“Because the Foley & Lardner law firm joined with JALA’s Community Counsel Center and NJCDC, this community is once again becoming a place where Northwest neighborhood residents are proud to raise their children and where those children will hopefully choose to raise their own families,” says Paul Tutwiler, executive director of the Northwest Jacksonville Community Development Corporation.
“The work of these attorneys will have a long and lasting impact for generations to come. We are deeply grateful,” he said.
Miller added, “I remember Joanna White, Ryan Maloney and Tana Stringfellow as previous volunteers with Community Counsel. I am delighted that the Foley firm strongly supports the community by allowing Mr. Lotzia and his team to extend their expertise.
Projects like North Point I cannot happen without the generous pro bono commitment of attorneys like Mr. Lotzia and the Foley staff.”
For information on pro bono opportunities throughout the Fourth Judicial Circuit, contact Kathy Para, JBA Pro Bono Committee chair, at [email protected].