Without any real agenda business for the Plymouth Common Council meeting Monday evening, Councilman Mike Delp brought up the property at 400 East Jefferson Street, the former Clark Station.
Delp said he called Mr. Michael Iqbal, the person purchasing the property on land contract from deeded owner, Jai Bhaqwaan on Monday. The councilman informed members of the information he received on Monday. The property taxes have been delinquent and the county set the property for tax sale. Iqbal said he’s paid the taxes on the property, but he paid them to the owner of the property who hasn’t paid the county. Delp said there seems to be a dispute there between the two of them. Mr. Iqbal said he would be seeing a local attorney on the matter. (According to the county’s GIS the property was sold at tax sale in November 2014 and the county commissions hold a tax certificate to the property.)
Councilman Delp said that Mr. Iqbal understands that all the codes have to be met before he can open and that the pavement that has been taken out and replace with stone must be put back to pavement within one year.
This particular piece of property has been on the radar for some time. Mayor Senter listed it as one of his Operation Bright Spot properties in February 2012. In March of 2014 the Plymouth Board of Public Works conducted a hearing on the property and at that time Mrs. Iqbal appeared and asked for some time to finish paying off the contract and getting the building ready for use as a convenience store. Since that time the land contract owners have appeared before the city with little forward progress.
Monday night Mr. Delp said, “We need to keep on him.” He said he promised to be at the next city meeting.
Councilman Don Ecker suggested more background research on the issue. He asked the city attorney to do some additional research and “make sure things are where they are suppose to be.”
Ecker then made a warning statement to these who purchase on a sale, land contract or lease agreement. He said, “I don’t know if this is the case here or not but many times people are taken advantage of and there’s not a lot of full disclosure. The councilman said, “I’d like to remind people purchasing property, be it a land contract or any kind of sale, make sure you dot you I’s and cross you t’s when you’re going through this because this could come back to haunt you.”
