San Diego Westfield UTC Mall Faces Millons in Lien Claims

Since April of 2020, eight mechanics lien claims have been filed at the recently re-opened Westfield UTC shopping mall in San Diego, CA, totaling $1.7M in unpaid construction work. Seven different contractors have filed at least eight liens in connection to the shopping center, with the latest filed as of June 29, 2020.

According to the eight lien affidavits, the property owner facing the claims is SI UTC Property Owner, LLC, which is based in New York, NY. Each mechanics lien was processed and affirmed with the San Diego County clerk’s office.

The San Diego mall isn’t the only Westfield project facing financial trouble. As of July 16, 2020, the Westfield Broward in Plantation, Florida, owes contractors nearly $9 million in unpaid lien claims.

7 Contractors Owed $1.7M on San Diego Mall Project

The different contractors are owed a total of $1,736,129.60 for work taking place at Westfield UTC shopping mall, which is located on 4545 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA.

General contractor Gundry Partners affirmed the largest mechanics lien on June 29th, claiming $1,121,027.18 in unpaid work. Gundry Partners was hired by Equinox Holdings, which operates and owns 106 fitness clubs across the U.S., to construct a new fitness club being leased out of the Westfield UTC shopping mall.

Because of Gundry Partners’ non-payment from Equinox Holdings, the general contractor is now linked to their own mechanics lien claim with subcontractor TRF Builders. According to the lien affidavit affirmed on June 9th, TRF Builders claims they are owed $26.6K from Gundry Partners.

The second-largest lien processed in connection with the Westfield UTC shopping mall since April was filed by Gray West Construction, which claims they are owed approximately $300K from SI UTC Property Owner, LLC. The general contractor’s lien was affirmed on June 4th.

Gray West Construction now owes subcontractor Advanced Acoustic Contractors $19.7K in unpaid work at the Westfield UTC mall, according to the lien affidavit affirmed on June 9th.

On April 7th, subcontractor Major Plumbing Co., Inc. affirmed a $229.2K mechanics lien against Howard CDM, which was also hired by Equinox Holdings. A fellow subcontractor in A Cut Above Concrete Cutting, Inc. affirmed a lien against Major Plumbing Co., Inc. on June 9th, claiming they are owed $8.9K in unpaid construction work.

Subcontractor Glasswerks LA Inc. affirmed a $28.4K mechanics lien on June 29th against National Mallfront & Design for contributions to the mall.

Also on June 29th, subcontractor Ferguson Enterprises, LLC filed a mechanics lien linked to the Westfield UTC mall against Valleywide Plumbing and Air in the amount of $1.9K.

Westfield UTC Reopens As Retailers Face Financial Trouble

As reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Westfield UTC mall reopened to the general public as of May 30th following health hazards caused by the coronavirus outbreak. Prior to the shopping mall’s reopening, the facility had been closed for 10 weeks.

The Westfield UTC includes at least 150 shopping centers and an additional 56 dining locations.

According to Equinox Holdings, the new fitness center developed at Westfield UTC mall included a newly constructed member’s lounge, locker rooms, showers, group fitness studio, yoga studio, strength floor, and functional training area.

The retail industry has been hit particularly hard by economic impacts of the coronavirus, with some of the country’s largest clothing retailers facing lien claims while they undergo bankruptcy proceedings.