County to pursue overdue property taxes on empty Asheville motel скачать в хорошем качестве

County to pursue overdue property taxes on empty Asheville motel

After more than 30 days of delinquency on a $29,079 property tax bill, outside attorneys hired by Buncombe County will attempt for the next 30 days to contact the Mountaineer Inn’s owners and get them to pay up. Buncombe County's director of communications and public engagement, Lillian Govus, said the bill has been accruing interest since Jan. 5, when the taxes came due on the property assessed on county tax records for $2.81 million. In 2023, the owners, under the name Radify Asheville LLC, bought the landmark hotel for over $6 million. “Anytime we have someone who’s delinquent with their property taxes, our main efforts are to get them into compliance,” said Govus. “Outside counsel is attempting to make those efforts to get with the property owner. If we are unable to get to a good conclusion, then that’s when we would look at the foreclosure process.” The attorneys will work for about 30 days as a grace period to get the owners to pay, Govus said. LOGE Camps has been the umbrella company nationwide buying retro motels with a business model to invest and upgrade them. News 13 has investigated the sale and closure of the Mountaineer Inn since the over $6 million purchase in 2023, when local longtime developer Rusty Pulliam said he thought the purchase price was high for the property. Pulliam said the corridor was once a central location for hotels in Asheville. The fact that the owners were late paying taxes last year will factor into the grace period this time around, Govus said. Last year, News 13 reported the owners didn’t pay $27,000 in back taxes. Days after the story aired, the bill got paid. Govus said after the case is pursued by outside counsel in this new case, if the taxes aren’t paid, Buncombe County contracted attorneys will file a complaint with the Clerk of Court to start the foreclosure process. Govus said a judge would then set a court date. If there’s still no owner response, the property would go to auction. Such a process can take up to a year, Govus said. North Carolina’s Secretary of State has issued a revocation of Radify Asheville LLC’s certificate of authority to run a business in the state. But Secretary of State spokeswoman Liz Proctor said the agency is limited in any criminal oversight or action when a revocation happens. “The business was formed in Delaware,” said Proctor. “They haven’t responded to notifications. We typically do not have law enforcement powers in our business registration division. Depending on any future complaints, there’s always the potential our office can refer it to the Attorney General.” A neighboring business wrote to Asheville councilwoman Maggie Ullman, reporting safety and security concerns with open rooms where suspected homeless people are possibly congregating, as well as panhandling outside the abandoned property. The neighboring business asked Ullman to do something and to address community concerns about the blighted property being an eyesore and nuisance. The iconic Mountaineer sign has been dark for months. A contractor’s fence was pulled from the perimeter days ago. Tuesday evening, News 13 saw a man in a yellow reflective vest walking around the property after he parked a white SUV in the motel’s lot. Brad Branham, City of Asheville attorney, is moving forward with a judge’s order giving the city the right after 30 days to go on the property, clean it up and charge it back to the owners. Branham addressed safety concerns on the lot as well. “The City has responded to issues on this property through direct engagement with the owner and code enforcement. As well as Asheville police when criminality occurs. As the process continues, the city will remain open to all possible recourses in order to ensure the matter is sufficiently resolved.” _______________