LANESBOROUGH, Mass. - The sale of the Berkshire Mall was recorded with the Registry of Deeds Thursday.
The sale price was recorded at $1 million, some $2.5 million less than Kohan had purchased it.
Original Post: Wednesday, July 10 at 5:02 p.m.
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — A potential sale may be pending at the closed Berkshire Mall.
Recently, a new entity paid all of the town's taxes. Durga Property Holdings, Inc. out of Cincinnati apparently paid the taxes owed to the town. However, there is no record of a deed exchange in the Northern Berkshire Registry of Deeds just yet so it is unclear exactly what Durga's involvement actually is but local officials say the company identified themselves as the"new owner."
Durga also owns the Orchards Mall in Michigan, which the company bought from the Berkshire Mall's current owner Kohan Retail Investment Group, along with a handful of other developments throughout the country.
Vijaya Kumar Vemulapalli is listed as the head of the company in the paperwork filed with the Ohio Secretary of State's Office.
The Berkshire Mall was closed earlier in the year after facing significant issues with back taxes and utilities. The mall is currently owned by Kohan Retail Investment Group, which bought the property in 2016 for $3.5 million. Before that, it was owned by Strategic Asset Services and before that Pyramid Companies.
Kohan had purchased it right after both Macy's and Best Buy left the 700,000 square-foot facilities and the loss of stores continued. Eventually, the mall closed its doors for good, with only Regal Cinemas and Target, both of which own their buildings, still operating.
The mall's website was shut down and Kohan removed the mall from the list of properties its website.
Searches for Durga has turned up little but according to the Herald Palladium in Michigan, Velmulapalli has had "mixed results" with development. He had particularly been successful with the development of a couple of hotel resorts.
Rumors of the sale, or pending sale, have circulated around town and little is actually known. However, the payment of the taxes has come at a great relief to town officials.
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Long Vehicles Banned from Mount Greylock Roads
By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Members of DCR told the Mount Greylock Advisory Council that in most cases vehicles longer than 22 feet will no longer be allowed to traverse the roads to the summit.
"I think overall everyone will be pleased with the way this came out, and it will fix a lot of problems for us," Mark Jester, mountain district manager for the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, said.
The councilors at their last meeting had talked about concerns they had with school buses and other long vehicles navigating the tricky summit roads. They drafted a letter to the state that contained safety concerns as well as maintenance worries with larger, heavier vehicles using the narrow road.
"We want people to be able to travel safely. With the steepness and all of the curves, it is difficult and unsafe," Jester said. "You go around a blind corner and here comes a bus over the top of you."
The panel had a presentation from Berkshire Harm Reduction, formerly Healthy Steps, on Tuesday and the organization requested that Lanesborough join its traveling syringe services and more program.
A special meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 12, so that the board can take a formal vote. click for more
Bri Frongillo scored 23 points, and the Hopedale girls basketball team ended the game on a 5-0 run to earn a 55-45 win over Hoosac Valley on Sunday in the Division 5 State Championship game at the Tsongas Center. click for more
Hoosac Valley’s Averie McGrath scored her 1,000th point as the Hurricanes Friday booked their ticket to the Division 5 final four with a 66-32 win over Carver. click for more