WCNC’s Tony Burbeck is back with more on the iffy status of EpiCenter and the contractors who built it.
Not surprisingly, Afshin Ghazi blames the general contractor — whom he owes $1.8m. — for failing to pay the subs who have liens on the property. It will be very interesting to see how the courts rule.
In the meantime, Burbeck reveals that the EpiCenter is still operating under a temporary occupancy permit. It cannot get a permanent permit until the required work — one assumes electrical and perhaps plumbing as well — is done. Contractors will not do the work because they either have not been paid for previous work at EpiCenter — or know that doing the work might not get them paid. The solution?
Pull the temporary permits until the work is done. That way everyone has an incentive to get square. How likely it that? About 1% of a chance given that all of city government and the Uptown crowd is on the hook, trying to make EpiCenter “work.” In a real, non-Disneyfied town this charade would be shut down.
But not Charlotte.
Update: This is why we can’t have nice things, Mr. max.
