Orchards Mall Facing Possible Foreclosure

orchardsmall-3
orchardsmall-3

Foreclosure is a possibility for the Orchards Mall in six months. The owner of the Orchards Mall in Benton Township owes $324,000 in back property taxes to Berrien County and is flirting with foreclosure. County Treasurer Bret Witkowski is hoping a resolution is found.

“He hasn’t paid off the 2014 or 2015 (taxes), and that’s adding up to a pretty good amount,” says Witkowski about mall owner Mike Kohan. “Like every taxpayer in Berrien County, he’ll have the opportunity to at least set up a payment plan.”

At this point, Kohan has not reached out to Witkowski’s office.

“I have heard from quite a few tenants, who are very concerned about their livelihoods,” Witkowski told WSJM News. “We need them to be successful.”

Witkowski says demolition of the mall is not on the table if it goes into foreclosure at the end of March. He says if that happens, his hope is it would go to the Berrien County Land Bank and be sold to the best possible candidate.