In Re Northport Marina Associates

136 B.R. 903, 1992 Bankr. LEXIS 294, 1992 WL 26272
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. New York
DecidedJanuary 9, 1992
Docket1-19-40889
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 136 B.R. 903 (In Re Northport Marina Associates) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Northport Marina Associates, 136 B.R. 903, 1992 Bankr. LEXIS 294, 1992 WL 26272 (N.Y. 1992).

Opinion

OPINION

CECELIA H. GOETZ, Bankruptcy Judge:

Pending before the Court are several motions in this voluntary Chapter 11 proceeding.

Citibank, N.A. (“Citibank”), the Debtor’s principal secured creditor, has filed the following motions:

(a) Motion for entry of an order granting relief from the automatic stay pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 362 for the purposes of (1) allowing Citibank to foreclose on certain real property owned by Northport Marina Associates (“Northport” or “Debtor”) and to exercise all of Citibank’s rights under the law and its mortgages; and (2) granting Citibank further relief including a dismissal of the instant Chapter 11 proceeding; and

(b) Motion seeking dismissal of the Chapter 11 proceeding or in the alternative appointment of a trustee under 11 U.S.C. § 1104.

Northport, a New York general partnership, has filed a cross-motion pursuant to Section 552 of the Bankruptcy Code seeking an order confirming that its income is not subject to a pre-petition security interest of Citibank, that Citibank has not perfected its purported security interest in the ‘rents’ and ‘general intangibles’ of the Debtor, and that its income is not cash collateral.

Voluminous affidavits have been submitted in support of these various motions. The Court also heard testimony thereon on October 18 and October 23, 1991.

For the reasons more fully set forth below, Citibank’s motion for relief from stay is granted; its motions for dismissal of the instant Chapter 11 proceeding and for appointment of a trustee are denied. The debtor’s cross-motion will be separately considered and decided in an Opinion to follow.

FACTS

On July 19, 1991, the Debtor filed a petition in the Eastern District of New York seeking relief under 11 U.S.C. Section 101 et seq. (the “Bankruptcy Code”). The Debtor remains in possession of its estate pursuant to Sections 1107 and 1108 of the Bankruptcy Code and no trustee has been appointed.

The Business of the Debtor

The Debtor owns and operates a marina and recreational complex located in the Village of Northport, Long Island, New York (the “Subject Property”), a waterfront community on Long Island Sound. The Subject Property constitutes substantially all of the assets of the Debtor and is essential for the successful maintenance of its business.

The property consists of 310 boat slips bordered by floating docks, two buildings, sun decks, a swimming pool, and two tennis courts. When completed, the facilities building will include a lounge area, exercise rooms, cabanas, a sauna, snack bar, locker rooms and storage areas. There is also a retail complex. The property also includes an open boat display and storage area and onsite parking for 324 cars. Until 1991 the Subject Property was undergoing construction and is now entering into its first year of full operation.

The Subject Property was intended to be operated as a “dockominium.” The boat slips would then not be leased but would be sold; each dockominium unit would comprise a boat slip, and its purchaser would also own a percentage of the common interest in various other amenities. The Debtor *905 had filed an offering plan with the Attorney General’s Office to obtain authorization to sell dock space. On the filing of an amended current financial statement with the Attorney General’s Office, it will have authority to commence marketing. No marketing has yet taken place.

Until the property is used as a dockomi-nium, and at the present time, the Subject Property, which is known as the Britannia Yacht and Racquet Club is engaged in renting boat slips. It has entered into 93 contracts for the coming season as compared with 38 at the same time last year.

Citibank’s Interest

The development was financed by Citibank beginning December 29, 1986. Through a series of notes and mortgages, Citibank funded the development and construction of the Subject Property for a total principal amount of $18,136,527.

One of the loan documents executed between December 29, 1986 and June 30, 1988 is a Mortgage Modification Agreement dated October 27, 1988. This Agreement modifies the outstanding mortgages to include the terms of Exhibit B. Exhibit B is captioned “Building Loan Mortgage, Assignment of Leases and Rents and Security Agreement.” The “Granting Clause” of this Exhibit reads in part:

[T]he Mortgagor. ... hereby gives, grants, bargains, sells, warrants, aliens, remises, releases, conveys, assigns, transfers, mortgages, hypothecates, deposits, creates a security interest in, pledges, sets over and confirms unto the Mortgagee all of its estate, right, title and interest in ... all of the following described property ... whether now owned or held or hereafter acquired:
J|C * $ * * Sf!
(d) the Intangibles;
(f) all leases of all or any portion of the Mortgaged Property now or hereafter entered into and all right, title and interest of the Mortgagor thereunder, including, without limitation, any cash or securities deposited thereunder, to secure performance by the lessees of their obligations thereunder, whether such cash or securities are to be held until the expiration of the terms of such leases or applied to one or more of the installments of rent coming due immediately prior to the expiration of such terms, including, further, the right, upon the happening of an Event of Default, to receive and collect the rents thereunder; ...

Exhibit C-6, pp. 2-3.

The Mortgage Modification Agreement further provides:

During the continuance of any such Event of Default ... the Mortgagee shall be entitled to collect and receive all earnings, revenues, rents, issues, profits and income of the Mortgaged Property, and every part thereof, all of which shall for all purposes constitute property of the Mortgagor; and in furtherance of such right the Mortgagee may collect the rents payable under all leases of the Premises directly from the lessees thereunder upon notice to each such lessee that an Event of Default exists hereunder accompanied by a demand on each such lessee for the payment to the Mortgagee of all rents due and to become due under its lease....

Exhibit C-6, p. 18 (emphasis supplied).

At the same time, Citibank filed a UCC financing statement which claims a security interest in “[assignment of rents, condemnation awards, hazard insurance proceeds and all fixtures, furnishings, fittings, appliances, appurtenances, equipment, machinery, boilers, building materials, oil burners, power systems, air conditioning units, elevators, chattels and articles of personal property ...” (Rider to Exhibit C-11). It does not claim a security interest in accounts receivables, licenses, permits, intangibles or in the proceeds derived therefrom.

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Related

In Re 500 Fifth Avenue Associates
148 B.R. 1010 (S.D. New York, 1993)
In Re Northport Marina Associates
136 B.R. 911 (E.D. New York, 1992)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
136 B.R. 903, 1992 Bankr. LEXIS 294, 1992 WL 26272, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-northport-marina-associates-nyeb-1992.