Court Rules for White Flint Mall Owners in Redevelopment Fight

Redevelopment plans for White Flint Mall in North Bethesda can continue after a federal appeals court rejected an appeal by Lord & Taylor, one of the mall's last remaining retail anchors, reports the Baltimore Business Journal.

Lord & Taylor sued the mall’s owners seeking financial damages and to delay the mall's demolition and redevelopment as a town center. It claimed the mall's owners broke a longstanding agreement requiring White Flint to be maintained as a "first-class high fashion regional shopping center" by letting most of the mall's tenants close and partially demolishing the property.

White Flint's owners, Lerner Enterprises and the Tower Cos., want to convert the property into a 5.2 million-square-foot mixed-use development. The owners have denied Lord & Taylor's allegations and say the retailer is only trying to extract a larger settlement from them.

Dave & Busters is also taking issue with the plans. In November, the parent company of the restaurant, sports bar and arcade sued the mall’s owners in federal court, saying the redevelopment violated terms of its lease.

According to The Washington Post, attorneys made a similar case to the one used by Lord & Taylor, referencing a clause in the lease saying the, ”Landlord shall not renovate, remodel, enlarge or otherwise perform any work” in the mall that causes a “material interference” to Dave & Busters operations.