Green Hills mall owner buys La Paz building

Mall continues to amass property around it, fueling more talk of a new major department store

Email | Print By Richard Lawson

The owner of The Mall at Green Hills continues its land grab along Cleghorn Ave., and has bought the building housing La Paz Restaurant, fanning more talk of a new department store at the mall.

Davis Street Land Co. recorded the deed late Friday, showing it paid just under $3.2 million for the property.

Davis Street now controls a contiguous block of land from Crestmoor Road to Abbott Martin Road. As first reported by NashvillePost.com in April, Davis Street purchased the two small office buildings next to La Paz and also controls the former Club at Green Hills site next to those buildings. The latter property is being cleared now.

La Paz corporate officials couldn’t be reached, and the local general manager wasn’t in yet to address the status of the restaurant. It is thought to have substantial time left on its lease. However, its Kennesaw, Ga.-based parent, Mexican Specialty Foods, has been dealing with a federal tax lien of more than $600,000.

For a long while, Nordstrom has been the focus of chatter over a supposed new department store in town. That chatter has heated up in recent months, particularly as the mall moved to buy property. Mall officials won’t comment.

The big question is whether or not a department store would fit on that property. It abuts the parking garage and office building and retail property owned by developers John Rochford and Newton Oldacre McDonald.

Real estate brokers and developers have said the office building probably should be demolished at some point. Healthways will be emptying the building this summer to move into its new headquarters in Cool Springs.

Perhaps the wily developers are working to strike a deal with Davis Street, either selling out or getting in on the deal to bring Nordstrom and other retailers new to Nashville.