Ground Zero Mosqueteer El-Gamal files to raze buildings at “Ground Zero mosque” site
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He’s back. The Ground Zero mosqueteer, Sharif el-Gamal, has filed
plans to demolish the buildings previously designated as the site for
the Ground Zero mosque. No worries. We are following these developments
with intense interest. We will keep you updated. If he intends to build a
mosque in a building that was destroyed in the 911 attacks, we will be
there. If he thinks that destroying the building will solve this
problem, he is wrong.
Where is he getting the money? The man defaulted on not one, but two bank loans. He failed to pay rent to Con Ed, part owner of one of the buildings. They sued him and won. And Gamal failed to pay the taxes owed on the building. On top of all this, he was evicted from his Soho Properties offices for failure to pay rent.
And yet he bought the two buildings that flank the proposed Ground Zero site. Where is he getting the money?
Where is he getting the money? The man defaulted on not one, but two bank loans. He failed to pay rent to Con Ed, part owner of one of the buildings. They sued him and won. And Gamal failed to pay the taxes owed on the building. On top of all this, he was evicted from his Soho Properties offices for failure to pay rent.
And yet he bought the two buildings that flank the proposed Ground Zero site. Where is he getting the money?
“Park51′s Home Faces Wrecking Ball [Updated],” The Real Deal April 7, 2014
Developer Sharif El-Gamal has filed plans to level two low-rise structures at the site of the long-stalled Park51 development, also known as the “Ground Zero mosque.”
The developer and his firm, Soho Properties, courted controversy in 2010 after proposing a 15-story Islamic cultural center in place of the five-story 45 Park Place and four-story 51 Park Place. Located in the Financial District, the properties are situated two blocks from the site of the September 11 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center.
The plans to demolish the buildings were filed with the Department of Buildings today, the New York Observer reported.
The buildings already house a nonprofit Islamic community and prayer center, and El-Gamal charges $30,000 in rent for the space. Last year brokers told The Real Deal that the developer had been inquiring about how to price units should he choose to build condominiums at the site.
Previous plans called for a mixed-use development with residences on upper floors and a prayer space on lower floors, as previously reported. A spokesman for the firm said specific plans for the site would be announced at a later date. [NYO] – Angela Hunt
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