ONTARIO, Ohio — UPDATED–The Richland Mall has been ordered to be sold as the result of a foreclosure action granted to Wells Fargo Bank.
The foreclosure action began on September 9, 2014 with the United States Bankruptcy Court Eastern Division of the Northern District of Ohio, and Judge Patricia A. Gaughan rendered the decision in favor of plaintiff Wells Fargo against defendant Centro Richland, LLC.
A representative for Richland Mall could not be reached for comment on Tuesday. However, Avita Health System representatives remain optimistic. Avita Health System’s property is adjacent to the mall.
The following statement was issued by Avita on Tuesday afternoon.
Avita Health System remains optimistic that Richland Mall will attain new owners quickly and delivered assurance that the process will not affect their operations. Although Avita and the mall have a unique partnership, Avita remains a separate facility and functions independently.
“Despite the recent attention surrounding Richland Mall, we will not change our plans to expand and grow our Avita Ontario location,” stated Jerry Morasko, President and CEO of Avita Health System.
Avita Ontario, a large, multi-specialty medical facility, decided to keep the south side of the building open to the mall to convenience both patients and visitors. Although attached, the two entities remain completely separate from each other. The former retail building was initially a stand-alone building, and the mall was attached to it later.
In recent months, Avita Ontario has expanded services to include a walk-in clinic, retail pharmacy, and endoscopy suite. Since its Grand Opening eight months ago, Avita has recruited nine additional medical providers to Avita Ontario, providing a total of 34 providers at that location for Richland County and surrounding residents.
“Avita is thriving,” commented Morasko. “We are constantly reviewing where healthcare shortfalls lie and the feasibility to expand.”
“Avita has valued our relationship with the Richland Mall. We look forward to working with new owners and remaining good neighbors,” Morasko said.
The case indicates that the owner of the mall, Centro Richland owes more than $40 million.
Avita Health System is also named in the case. Avita purchased the former Lazarus property from CMF Richland in December 2013.
Editor’s note: The story has been updated to reflect sale of the Richland Mall property.
“Despite the recent attention surrounding Richland Mall, we will not change our plans to expand and grow our Avita Ontario location,” stated Jerry Morasko, President and CEO of Avita Health System.
