wwmt.com/news/local/crossroads-mall-lawsuit-bus-system-dismissed-pothole-kalamazoo-county-transit-authority-traffic-legal-battle-2-million-parking-lots-roadways
Judge dismisses Crossroads Mall lawsuit against Kalamazoo County Transit Authority
The Mall. It's a private road on private property.
And, how does the mall explain the trashed parking lots? Are busses driving madly all over the lots also? That lawsuit was total crap.
Yeah seriously! The lots are worse than the surrounding drive in lots of places!
The mall is responsible but they were blaming transit because the busses drive on the roads and weigh a lot. Thus they were blaming metro transit for ruining their roads
Heavy Vehicles like Buses and Semis do cause massive amounts of damage to the roadways and parking lots.
There's a HUGE difference in the base support grade of a public road, that's designed for 80,000 lb vehicles than a parking lot, designed for >10,000lbs.
Two, there's a life cycle to either one. The parking lot hit it's design limit 20 years ago.
Yes, they do. However, the mall has failed to do anything to maintain that parking lot. They have no evidence to prove the bus system has caused significant damage beyond the normal wear and tear that they are responsible for.
I feel like they may have had an argument if it was only the route used by the bus that was in disrepair, but really it's the whole property. They're just trying to squeeze some money out of the government to subsidize maintenance costs.
This! The whole parking lot is thrashed to shit and no worse than the parts the busses use from my experience
Just put a Horrocks in where the sears used to be, they would definitely gain some traffic.
A horrocks would kill it in Kalamazoo! That would rock and i would actually go to the mall in that case besides just going there to transfer buses like i currently do. I know a ton of people who would go if that were there but who dont ever go now.
Only time ive been inside the mall in the past decade was when i missed my connecting bus and had to wait lol
If that mall was full of food, music and events like craft shows or art, it would revitalize quick. But someone with a vision and money needs to step up and cash in.
Horrocks offered to move in there before they settled in battle creek. They were denied for some reason.
As a creeker: I would’ve been devastated if it left! So glad they ended up at the Lakeview Square spot, here’s hoping it goes so well they can bring another over to the zoo!
The new location rocks! I do miss their old spot, but what an upgrade! The live events slap too!
Or the old D&W on Romence!
I would be there weekly if they went in here. I miss Horrock's. We drive over there once or twice a month when the roads are clear, less when 94 is shit. (I'm a chicken).
Get your shit together Mall.
Go home Mall, you’re drunk!
With prejudice, too! This means they can't bring back the suit. Good.
Only the federal claims are dismissed with prejudice. The two state claims were dismissed without prejudice. The mall can still file those two claims again in circuit court.
Edit for typo
Oh, bummer. Didn't catch that detail.
Those buses were going through there all the way back in the 80’s - why is this suddenly an issue?
Because the new owners don't like paying for things that are their responsibility 🙄
For one, there was probably more competent mall management back when it was first built compared to who owns it now.
It was a mall's world back then. Malls were at the height of their economic power. Mall management didn't need to be competent because they were making money hand over fist. Now it would probably take someone pretty savvy to make a mall successful but why would they waste their time saving a mall.
Maybe the Mall should stop eating avocado toast so it can afford to maintain itself.
Good thing they got rid of that carousel that was paying rent so they could use the space for nothing.
What's funny is I'm sure back in the 80s it was the mall that begged for a bus stop to be installed to bring in workers and customers.
This is just the current ownership not wanting to take responsibility to fix their own crap.
That mall is dying anyway lol
Sad the the recent companies that have owned the mall have decided not to put funds into trying to revitalize the mall. But I here the city council wasn't that easy to get along with when the mall ownership was trying to put forth projects at one point. Loss for Portage and Kalamazoo
Just shut the mall down.
Am I missing something here? I’m clueless when it comes to law, but it seems like the mall is in the right in expecting compensation. It has to be so expensive to repair the damage the buses cause. Can’t the route end on Milham, a public road right by the mall?
Either way, I don’t expect to see that mall around for too many more years.
The ruling isn’t saying the busses don’t cause damage, etc. it says the mall can’t expect the buses to pay for it.
They let the buses do their thing for years without an agreement.
Mostly it’s a ploy from mall owners to pass on the cost because their entire lot needs an update and the mall is a retail graveyard.
From the article that is linked, it doesn’t seem like they ever wanted the bus stops to be installed on the mall property.
Slight disagreement here. The article says the bus stops were installed and used without any contract or agreement. It doesn’t say the mall tried to change anything.
For years.
Meaning they’ve had ample opportunity to complain, sue, etc and didn’t.
I’m no lawyer but my takeaway is there’s more than a decade of the busses delivering customers to the mall without complaint.
Only now, when the mall is desperately looking for money, is there a complaint. Precedent.
Ah I see.
This company only acquired ownership of the mall in late 2022. They knew what they were purchasing. This is a shady ploy in order to avoid maintenance costs.
The mall should want busses to bring people to shop and to work... the damage to the roads is a result of busses doing what they're supposed to do. If the mall does't want the revenue the busses bring... fine... see how that works out for an already dying mall.
The mall has been there for ever and has chosen not to maintain its own property, now you want us to pay for it when the bus is bringing them the ability to have staff that generate revenue? No bus means no workers means no stores means no mall. . .
Nah, I don’t want the city to pay for it now that I see why the issue exists, hence why I asked the question. I see where the root of the issue is now, and if I owned the property I never would have let them install the stops without negotiating something.
No, no negotiations. There is no need for them. They needed to pay to maintain the roads that are past their expected life. Calculating depreciation is a thing when running a business. You are still advocating for taxpayers to fix it when you say "I would have negotiated something"
And in a shocking turn of events level heads won out
Wait so the mall was suing the county transit because their roads are fucked? Whose in charge of up keeping the roadways around the mall?