WORCESTER — The Midtown Mall has been sold for $4 million to Felicio Lana, a real estate investor and manager with other downtown properties.

Judith and Dean Marcus sold the properties at 10-30 Front St., to 10-30 Front Street LLC, managed by Mr. Lana, according to documents filed with the Worcester County Registry of Deeds at 4 p.m. Friday.

Mr. Lana already controls the two buildings next door, the Chase Building at 44 Front St. and the Winsor Building at 50 Front St. He is principal of Northeast Properties, at 250 Commercial St., which owns and manages properties in Worcester, Fitchburg and Leominster.

Reached by phone Sunday, Mr. Lana, of Ashland, said he had no comment on plans for the Midtown Mall.

"We're working on drawings right now, and sitting down with the city to discuss our plans," Mr. Lana said.

Mr. Marcus and his wife, Judith, owned the three-story Midtown Mall building at 22 Front St., as well as a five-story commercial building at 12 Front St. The properties, which face City Hall and the Common, have been the subject of much criticism over the years by city officials, who contend they are an eyesore and that little has been done to improve their appearance.

After unsuccessfully trying to prod the owner for decades to properly maintain the property, the Worcester Redevelopment Authority on Feb. 8 directed the city administration to start an appraisal process, the first step to take the properties by eminent domain under an urban renewal setting.

The city’s 2018 assessed values of 22 Front St. is $2,388,300, and $2,999,700 for 12 Front St. The properties are included in the WRA’s Downtown Urban Revitalization Plan, which targets underutilized properties in the downtown area and designates them for redevelopment by the owner, sale by the owner to another party or to be taken through eminent domain by the city, which would then work with a developer to reconfigure the property.

In March, Mr. Marcus told the WRA he was talking to a "number of different developers" about redeveloping or making improvement to the Front Street properties. When Mr. Marcus failed to provide any specific plans at a public hearing held by the WRA on April 4, the WRA gave Mr. Marcus 30 days to provide a detailed written statement regarding the future of the property.

The sale took place as those 30 days were expiring.

Michael E. Traynor, the city’s chief development officer and chief executive officer of the WRA, said last month the city had not started any action to acquire the properties yet other than getting the appraisals.

In April, Mr. Marcus acknowledged that it has been a struggle at times to make ends meet. WRA board member Michael P. Angelini urged Mr. Marcus to provide as many details and documentation as he could at the next meeting, which was to take place this week.

“It’s very important that you prepare to submit to us in writing what your plans are so there is no misunderstanding about it,” Mr. Angelini told Mr. Marcus. “Let us know what your plan is for this building. We are all interested in doing the right thing, but it’s important for us to see in writing what your propose doing. ... We’ve waited 25 years for this plan, and I’m willing to wait a bit longer to get it."