Closing process to start for Northland mall

SOUTHFIELD (AP) — An Oakland County judge has ruled that a court-appointed receiver can begin closing one of the country’s oldest shopping centers.

Circuit Judge Wendy Potts said Wednesday that there are few alternatives to shuttering Northland Center in Southfield.

Potts said the mall’s benefits to tenants, owners and the community “are outweighed by the losses” that are about $250,000 per month.

The mall is just north of Detroit and opened in 1954. It was enclosed in 1971 and has lost anchor stores and smaller shops in recent years.

The mall’s receiver says 30-day eviction notices soon will be sent to the 70 remaining tenants. The property then could by marketed for sale.

A lawyer for the receiver says the company that bought Northland in 2008 defaulted on a $31 million payment.