Bart Blatstein Was a Tax Delinquent Until the Media Came Calling

Speaking of unpaid taxes, it turns out that developer Bart Blatstein—the guy behind the Piazza in Northern Liberties, as well as of the old Inquirer building/future casino on North Broad Street—hasn’t been paying his. At least, not until reporters from WHYY and the Daily News pressed the issue:

Since 2011, his company, 1033 North Second Associates LP, owed back taxes on a building in Northern Liberties, according to city records.

The $120,274.89 debt included property taxes, a city lien, penalties, interest and other fees.

Blatstein paid the overdue bill late last month after being contacted by WHYY/NewsWorks and the Philadelphia Daily News. He said he learned about the debt during the same week reporters called him about it.

“The Blatstein companies own more than 100 properties in the city of Philadelphia,” Blatstein said in a statement. “We just became aware of this tax issue.”

And hey: You want a guy who loses track of buildings to be involved in casino financing, right? What could possibly go wrong? [NewsWorks]