Ohio county to foreclose against mall

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AKRON, Ohio (AP) — A county in Ohio is set to begin foreclosure proceedings against a mall over unpaid property taxes, according to officials.

The Chapel Hill Mall in Akron owes more than $166,000 in back taxes, and a bill going out this month for just over $400,000 will include the back taxes, additional property taxes and utility assessments, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. The office of Summit County’s fiscal officer sent several property tax bills but wasn’t able to reach the mall owner, said Jack LaMonica, the office’s chief of staff.

The county’s fiscal officer “just felt — because we were not able to get in touch with the owner — it best served the county to work with the Land Bank to initiate foreclosure,” LaMonica said.

A foreclosure hadn’t been filed yet, but the process had begun, the newspaper reported Friday.

Mike Kohan, of Kohan Retail Investment Group, which owns the mall, said that he wasn’t aware of the foreclosure plans but said the bills will be paid.

The mall has also faced problems with its water bills. The City of Akron threatened to turn the water off Friday but decided not to after the owner made a partial payment.

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