Novak, Little Village Mall Tenants Agree To Six-Week Extension

John Novak has cut a deal with retail tenants at Little Village’s Discount Mall amid a legal battle between the two sides.

Roughly half of the building’s tenants were forced to vacate their booths no later than Tuesday, as Novak hadn’t yet reached an agreement with one the mall’s operators, PK Mall, Block Club Chicago reported. But local officials found a solution for vendors to stay while they fix up a former CVS at 2634 South Pulaski Road as a new location for the vendors.

Novak, whose Novak Construction bought the property in 2020, agreed to leasing terms with the mall’s other operator, Pilsen Plaza Corporation, allowing its side to continue running as normal. After a judge refused to grant an emergency hearing that would have prevented a lock-out, it appears the legal battle has concluded, allowing Novak to proceed with whatever development plans are up his sleeve — he hasn’t yet revealed plans for the property.

Novak’s response to 40 tenants moving out remains to be seen. The only plans he’s announced for the site include new facades, a parking lot with an underground stormwater detention system, upgraded lighting and landscaping.

The city will provide some funding for the revamped CVS building, which has sat vacant since last June. Some tenants have expressed concern that new space isn’t large enough to accommodate business needs, but it’s still just a temporary solution, as the city will sublease the property through the end of the year to give time for a more permanent solution, the outlet said.

Alderman Mike Rodriguez, whose 25th Ward contains the site of the old CVS, welcomed the new vendors.

“The site right now is deteriorating and not productive, and the opportunity for small, immigrant business owners to move in and bring in vitality … I would be ecstatic to bring these folks into my ward,” Rodriguez told the outlet.

— Quinn Donoghue