Little Village Discount Mall Faces Uncertain Future After Injunction Hearing
The Little Village discount mall in Chicago is facing an uncertain future after an emergency injunction hearing was held on Thursday.
The hearing was requested by attorneys representing dozens of vendors who are set to be evicted from the mall.
The vendors received a letter last month stating that they would have to vacate the mall by March 26th due to renovations planned by the property’s owners.
During the hearing, a judge stated that she would issue a written ruling by the end of the day or tomorrow regarding the fate of the mall.
The vendors’ attorneys argued that they should not be considered week-to-week licensees, but instead tenants with protections to stay until their individual agreements with the leasing operator expire.
The mall’s owners, Construction Purchase, purchased the property back in 2019 and are planning renovations, but did not reach a deal with one of the two leasing companies operating there.
PK Mall Management, the leasing company in question, said that the proposed rent increase was unreasonable and unsustainable.
Around 40 vendors on one side of the mall are being forced to leave by this weekend unless the judge rules in their favor, granting some emergency relief.
An alternative site, a vacant building at 26 in Pulaski, could serve as a new home for the businesses, but it is not yet ready.
The attorneys for the vendors are due to submit their arguments today, and they are hopeful that an agreement can be reached with Novak and the CD to relocate the businesses in a manner that is both secure and feasible.
The fate of the Little Village discount mall remains uncertain, pending the judge’s ruling.
