Westwood Mall Owner Pays Back Taxes as Roof Collapse Leaves Businesses in Doubt

MARQUETTE TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The owner of The Westwood Mall made the 2023 property tax payment by the March 31 deadline, avoiding foreclosure for the second year in a row. However, business owners in the area are still dealing with uncertainty as the mall faces ongoing issues such as unpaid electric bills, additional tax debt, and a collapsed roof that has forced the entire facility to close.

Mike Kohan of Kohan Retail Investment Group, based in Great Neck, New York, paid the overdue taxes on Monday night. Despite this, property taxes for 2024 and 2025 remain unpaid, totaling more than $312,800, according to Marquette County Treasurer Jackie Solomon. This amount will continue to accrue interest each month until it is settled.

To prevent future foreclosure, property taxes from 2024 are due on March 31, 2027, and 2025’s taxes must be paid by March 31, 2028.

The mall’s roof first collapsed at the end of February and again in a separate location 10 days later. As a result, the entire mall remains closed. Bargain Barn and Halloween Superstores are the two businesses directly affected by the collapse.

Clayton Horsley, owner of Level Up Arcade inside the mall, described the situation as stressful for tenants.

“We’re always worried that we’ll get a call that says, ‘Hey, you’ve got to close down and figure something else out,’” Horsley said.

Roof collapse affects U.P. workers

Horsley explained that the roof collapse has impacted employees at multiple businesses within the mall.

“It’s all local people that are affected. Bath & Body Works and Maurices are big corporations, but it’s still people, our neighbors, that can’t work. So, it’s almost distraughtful, I guess, is the word,” Horsley said.

Horsley opened his business at the mall in 2024. He chose that location because of the foot traffic.

“It’s heavily dependent because with the amount of money that I was able to secure to start, it wasn’t enough to be a draw by itself, which is unfortunate. But it’s kind of part of it and we’re almost testing a concept for it to see if it was viable,” Horsley said.

Horsley said he reaches out to the mall manager weekly, but communication from the Kohan Retail Investment Group has been limited.

“I reach out to the mall manager once a week every Thursday and ‘hey any updates’ and he goes ‘sorry.’ They’re doing their best but they don’t get any help from their ownership group,” Horsley said.

Owner says he’s working with insurance

Kohan said he is working with his insurance company to repair the roof.

“I’m working with the insurance company, hopefully it’s going to be resolved and we can do it; we’ll fix it,” Kohan said.

Kohan hung up before answering questions about the property taxes.

Horsley said his business is reliant on fixing the roof soon.

“I’ve got machines that are on site at the mall that I can’t access. So, it’s either I lose the accounts or I go buy more machines and then the money that I’ve already spent, I got to spend again,” Horsley said.

The next closest mall is in Escanaba, 70 miles away.

The Marquette Township Board did not respond to a request for comment.