Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon is taking foreclosure action against Great Northern Mall owners in a new lawsuit.
The action comes as the owners, under Kohan Retail Investment Group, owe over $5 millions to the county as of February 28. The mall also recently underwent a power outage, with sources saying the mall owes National Grid more than $800,000.
McMahon says they have failed to honor their repayment plan, on top of constant code violations and unpredictability for tenants.
The county will now begin the process of taking ownership. Leaders hope to redevelop the property for better use.
“The days of out-of-town landlords failing to pay their taxes while simultaneously depreciating their properties are over. We held Moonbeam responsible when it came to Shoppingtown Mall and today, we are doing the same with the owners of Great Northern Mall.” McMahon said in a statement Wednesday. “With the action taken today, Onondaga County has now begun the process of taking over ownership of this mall and will work diligently and expeditiously to get this property redeveloped and back into productive use.”
Officials say current tenants at the mall should not be immediately impacted.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed information about how much money Kohan owes to National Grid. That information was not received through National Grid.