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Butterfield Plaza owner says he's not to blame for problems
Thelma Grimes/San Pedro Valley News-Sun
Nazy Hirani, owner of the Butterfield Shopping Center on 4th Street, said his tenants and the city have made him look like a bad guy even though he is not to blame for the problems with the town's central shopping complex.
"We are going to do everything in our power to make this building safe structurally," Hirani said. "We just need people to be patient. We are doing everything we can, but no matter what we do, we will be the bad guy."
Hirani said the structural problems with the complex, which has anchor stores Safeway and ACE Hardware, were inherited, and he is not to blame. Hirani bought the shopping center from Sim Capon three years ago.
"We inherited the poor construction and the poor design," Hirani said. "We bought the building in good faith."
However, Hirani's tenants don't see him as the best landlord and have been speaking at various City Council meetings and to the media regarding the issue over the last several months. Many tenants said the building should remain condemned until the work ordered by the city is done.
Hirani was ordered by the city to hire qualified staff to bring the complex up to code. The problem started in July when former Building Official Mike Locket condemned the building. The condemnation was later rescinded, but Hirani still has to bring the building up to code.
Hirani has since filed a lawsuit against the city, stating that condemning the building has caused irreparable damage to his image. Before filing the lawsuit, Hirani had said he would settle for $4.7 million. The subsequent lawsuit did not specify an amount. City officials said they will defend the lawsuit instead of settle, and are currently working on a response.
In the meantime, construction continues on the aging building where tenants must put up with remodeling obstacles and went without sewer and gas in December. The tenant hit hardest is the Beijing Restaurant, which was forced to close after engineers lifted the back of the building in December.
Due to Benson's poor soil, the east wing of the complex has settled, causing an imbalance between the front and the back of the building. To make up for the 11-inch difference, the building was lifted, causing unforeseen damage to several suites along the west wing.
Doors and windows no longer fit the frames, cracks in floors and ceilings grew larger. Sewer and gas lines were exposed, causing the Cochise County Health Department to be called.
The Beijing Restaurant was forced to close. A sign on the door stated that the facility could not remain open due to damage caused in the lift.
Vinh Ma, and Hoang Le are family members who own the restaurant. The two said after being forced to close in December they have probably lost about $70,000, noting that this time of year is their busy season with snowbirds coming to town.
Ma said what has been shocking to them is the fact that Hirani is still making them pay monthly rent for a facility they can't even open. When asked why they don't move, Ma said it would cost about $250,000 to have another place remodeled to fit their needs, and in tough economic times, that's not feasible.
"We can't do anything here until the plumbing, drywall and gas lines are fixed," Ma said. "Them jacking up the building tore everything up, and then they demanded that we pay rent, they said we should have only been closed one week at the most."
Ma said they've been in business for 10 years and can't believe how they are currently being treated, noting that there's no way a health department would let a restaurant be open without water, gas and sewer.
Hirani said reaching the Beijing Restaurant owners became tough over a six-week period, and that's part of why construction workers couldn't get inside the facility to make the necessary repairs so the business could reopen.
Hirani maintains that the restaurant did not have to be closed as long as it has been, noting that in December and the beginning of January they could have been open.
Public Works Director Brad Hamilton agreed it was tough to reach the restaurant owners, but the facility had to be shut down over the last few months when the lift took place, and then after the gas, sewer and water for the facility had to be shut off.
In tour of the restaurant, Ma showed how it is not possible to open the facility right now with a hole in the women's bathroom floor and the doors to both the bathrooms won't shut due to the doors not fitting the frame.
Hamilton said a meeting is suppose to be held with Hirani, the county health department and the city this week to discuss what the restaurant will need to do to open again.
"We didn't cause this problem, none of this is our fault," Ma said. "We were told we should have stayed open when the building is so massively damaged, and they just blame us."
Ma said they are now looking for an attorney and hoping to work with the other tenants of the building in filing a lawsuit against Hirani for the damage done to their business.
The Beijing Restaurant is not the only one disagreeing with Hirani. Bobbi Kuhn of International Realty said she has lost business deals due to the state of the building, and at one point was without heat, sewer and water, but still didn't get a break in rent.
Postal Annex and Radio Shack have since moved out of the plaza, and into Prickly Pear Corner in front of Wal-Mart. Hirani has said he will sue the two businesses because they were still under contract to lease a suite in the Butterfield Plaza.
Steve Sacco of Postal Annex told the City Council he felt the Butterfield Plaza should still be condemned.
Hirani said neither Sacco, nor any of his current tenants are qualified engineers, and the building has been deemed safe since braces were installed on the back walls.
The city's third-party engineer, Brown & Associates, has deemed the structure safe for business.
In a Jan. 23 update to the City Council, Michael McMillan, of Brown & Associates, said the process to bring the building up to code continues to move forward and the engineering company hired by Hirani has received plan approvals to install additional piers along the southeast and southwest walls of ACE Hardware, and has received permits for the repair of sewer, water and gas lines.
McMillan said the project will be followed and updates will be provided to the City Council as the process to fix the building moves forward.
Nazy Hirani, owner of the Butterfield Shopping Center on 4th Street, said his tenants and the city have made him look like a bad guy even though he is not to blame for the problems with the town's central shopping complex.
"We are going to do everything in our power to make this building safe structurally," Hirani said. "We just need people to be patient. We are doing everything we can, but no matter what we do, we will be the bad guy."
Hirani said the structural problems with the complex, which has anchor stores Safeway and ACE Hardware, were inherited, and he is not to blame. Hirani bought the shopping center from Sim Capon three years ago.
"We inherited the poor construction and the poor design," Hirani said. "We bought the building in good faith."
However, Hirani's tenants don't see him as the best landlord and have been speaking at various City Council meetings and to the media regarding the issue over the last several months. Many tenants said the building should remain condemned until the work ordered by the city is done.
Hirani was ordered by the city to hire qualified staff to bring the complex up to code. The problem started in July when former Building Official Mike Locket condemned the building. The condemnation was later rescinded, but Hirani still has to bring the building up to code.
Hirani has since filed a lawsuit against the city, stating that condemning the building has caused irreparable damage to his image. Before filing the lawsuit, Hirani had said he would settle for $4.7 million. The subsequent lawsuit did not specify an amount. City officials said they will defend the lawsuit instead of settle, and are currently working on a response.
In the meantime, construction continues on the aging building where tenants must put up with remodeling obstacles and went without sewer and gas in December. The tenant hit hardest is the Beijing Restaurant, which was forced to close after engineers lifted the back of the building in December.
Due to Benson's poor soil, the east wing of the complex has settled, causing an imbalance between the front and the back of the building. To make up for the 11-inch difference, the building was lifted, causing unforeseen damage to several suites along the west wing.
Doors and windows no longer fit the frames, cracks in floors and ceilings grew larger. Sewer and gas lines were exposed, causing the Cochise County Health Department to be called.
The Beijing Restaurant was forced to close. A sign on the door stated that the facility could not remain open due to damage caused in the lift.
Vinh Ma, and Hoang Le are family members who own the restaurant. The two said after being forced to close in December they have probably lost about $70,000, noting that this time of year is their busy season with snowbirds coming to town.
Ma said what has been shocking to them is the fact that Hirani is still making them pay monthly rent for a facility they can't even open. When asked why they don't move, Ma said it would cost about $250,000 to have another place remodeled to fit their needs, and in tough economic times, that's not feasible.
"We can't do anything here until the plumbing, drywall and gas lines are fixed," Ma said. "Them jacking up the building tore everything up, and then they demanded that we pay rent, they said we should have only been closed one week at the most."
Ma said they've been in business for 10 years and can't believe how they are currently being treated, noting that there's no way a health department would let a restaurant be open without water, gas and sewer.
Hirani said reaching the Beijing Restaurant owners became tough over a six-week period, and that's part of why construction workers couldn't get inside the facility to make the necessary repairs so the business could reopen.
Hirani maintains that the restaurant did not have to be closed as long as it has been, noting that in December and the beginning of January they could have been open.
Public Works Director Brad Hamilton agreed it was tough to reach the restaurant owners, but the facility had to be shut down over the last few months when the lift took place, and then after the gas, sewer and water for the facility had to be shut off.
In tour of the restaurant, Ma showed how it is not possible to open the facility right now with a hole in the women's bathroom floor and the doors to both the bathrooms won't shut due to the doors not fitting the frame.
Hamilton said a meeting is suppose to be held with Hirani, the county health department and the city this week to discuss what the restaurant will need to do to open again.
"We didn't cause this problem, none of this is our fault," Ma said. "We were told we should have stayed open when the building is so massively damaged, and they just blame us."
Ma said they are now looking for an attorney and hoping to work with the other tenants of the building in filing a lawsuit against Hirani for the damage done to their business.
The Beijing Restaurant is not the only one disagreeing with Hirani. Bobbi Kuhn of International Realty said she has lost business deals due to the state of the building, and at one point was without heat, sewer and water, but still didn't get a break in rent.
Postal Annex and Radio Shack have since moved out of the plaza, and into Prickly Pear Corner in front of Wal-Mart. Hirani has said he will sue the two businesses because they were still under contract to lease a suite in the Butterfield Plaza.
Steve Sacco of Postal Annex told the City Council he felt the Butterfield Plaza should still be condemned.
Hirani said neither Sacco, nor any of his current tenants are qualified engineers, and the building has been deemed safe since braces were installed on the back walls.
The city's third-party engineer, Brown & Associates, has deemed the structure safe for business.
In a Jan. 23 update to the City Council, Michael McMillan, of Brown & Associates, said the process to bring the building up to code continues to move forward and the engineering company hired by Hirani has received plan approvals to install additional piers along the southeast and southwest walls of ACE Hardware, and has received permits for the repair of sewer, water and gas lines.
McMillan said the project will be followed and updates will be provided to the City Council as the process to fix the building moves forward.
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The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of bensonnews-sun.com.
JimWallace wrote on Feb 4, 2009 10:01 PM:
" What a WHINER......"Its not my fault...I bought the building like this". Mr Hirani is the worse kind of owner/landlord. He knowingly bought a broken building but didn't care to fix it up until he was compelled to by code enforcement. He is blaming the tenants for his problems. He has no customer service sense. "
Danny Smith wrote on Feb 4, 2009 8:20 PM: