By Nina Mandell
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — While the developer behind the proposed mosque near Ground Zero is trying to raise $100 million for the religious center, he's also reportedly facing a more pressing debt: $224,270 in back property taxes allegedly owed on the site.
A spokesperson for developer Sharif El-Gamal told the New York Post that the taxes were already paid on the property at 49-51 Park Place, which is half-owned by the utility company Con Edison.
But city records show that El-Gamal failed to pay his bi-annual bills in January and again in July, the Post reported.
El-Gamal's company may be in violation of its lease agreement with Con Edison if the developer hasn’t yet ponied up property tax payments for the entire parcel.
Con Edison told the paper it would review any possible lease violations.
El-Gamal purchased the lease from Con Edison for $700,000 last year when his company, 45 Park Place Partners, bought the other half of the building for $4.5 million.
