ZKS was privileged to play a key role in a commercial real estate transaction that will enable the expansion of the Coalition for the Homeless in Orlando’s Parramore neighborhood, and demonstrates innovative application of a new regulatory clearance process for redevelopment of contaminated infill sites.

ZKS real estate and land use attorney Scott Baker, assisted by paralegal Amber Dibernardo, represented the corporate sellers of several parcels on N. Parramore Avenue to the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida Inc. With financial support from the City of Orlando, which agreed to purchase and lease back a portion of the existing Coalition facilities, the Coalition will use the newly acquired land to build a new Center for Women and Families. The Coalition for the Homeless is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1987 to transform lives of homeless men, women, and children. The Coalition has a long history of collaboration with the City of Orlando and the community in the Coalition’s mission of helping families and individuals return to stable permanent homes as quickly as possible. Attorney Chris Brockman (Holland & Knight) represented the Coalition as the purchaser.

The project is also significant in its use of the St. Johns River Water Management District’s ePermitting program to accomplish a risk-based closure on the remaining groundwater impacts under Chapter 62-780.680, Florida Administrative Code.  On-site soil impacts were treated to meet State action levels using a soil vapor extraction/treatment system.  Working with Andrew Brey of Geosyntec Consultants, attorney Bill Pence (Baker & Hostetler) was able to establish the stability of remaining groundwater impacts covering 19 parcels and portions of four City streets and to obtain site closure addressing the potential for exposure to the groundwater impacts by recording the footprint of the groundwater impacts into the Water Management District’s public permitting records.  This was only the second time that FDEP’s Central District Office had approved this approach and was by far the most complicated one to effect final site closure because of the size of the impacted area and the number of separately owned parcels involved.