John Lushis a Presenter at CDFA Summer School

John F. Lushis, Jr., a Member of law firm Norris McLaughlin, P.A., presented “Setting the Stage: The Basics of TIF” and “TIF Financing Variation” on August 15 and “Understanding TIF Bond Financing” on August 16 at the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) Summer School at the Westin Book Cadillac Detroit in Detroit, Michigan.

“Setting the Stage: The Basics of TIF” focused on a general understanding of what TIF is and why communities use it to achieve economic development objectives. “TIF Financing Variation” covered alternatives to the issuance of bonds in a TIF project, including the use of low-interest loans and a public-private partnership component to reduce project construction costs. “Understanding TIF Bond Financing” covered the components of a bond issuance including the creation of Neighborhood Improvement Districts to levy special tax assessments to secure bonds. The presentations were part of a week-long series of courses sponsored by the CDFA Training Institute August 12-16. For more information, please click here.

Lushis focuses his practice on real estate, commercial transaction law, and environmental law. He provides counsel on an extensive diversity of transactions including leases, acquisitions and divestitures, tax-exempt and conventional financings, brownfields redevelopment, and an array of commercial agreements. Lushis has worked on multi-million-dollar loans and major tax-exempt financings for businesses and non-profits including Cetronia Ambulance Corps, Lafayette College, Lehigh University, Moravian College, and St. Luke’s Hospital.  He also has been involved in tax increment financing projects including Hamilton Crossings Retail Complex and West Hills Business Center. Lushis is solicitor for Lehigh County Industrial Development Authority and has been solicitor to Northampton County New Jobs Corp, Northampton County General Purpose Authority, and Lehigh Valley Economic Investment Corp.

In late 2015, Lushis became involved in “P3” projects (public-private partnerships) and is a lead architect of a first-of-its-kind P3 project in Pennsylvania. This project, which includes a novel financing structure, will allow Northampton County to replace or rehabilitate numerous bridges at substantial cost and time savings compared to traditional methods. The project has become a model for other P3 projects and has received statewide and national attention. As an outgrowth of the project, Lushis assisted in drafting legislation signed by Governor Wolfe in October 2017 to allow counties having a certain population, such as Northampton County, to construct a new jail using a P3 transaction structure.

Lushis is also registered to practice in the United States Patent and Trademark Office and his knowledge of intellectual property is a valuable resource for clients who have projects and transactions in the area. He received his B.S.M.E., cum laude, from University of Notre Dame in 1977, and his J.D. from Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law in 1980.

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