RTC Restaurant Sues Boston Properties; BXP Responds

UPDATE 5:08 PM: Boston Properties has responded to a request for comment with the following: "It would be inappropriate to discuss pending litigation, particularly as there is a confidentiality provision that prevents either party from discussing many of the lease terms."

RESTON, VA — The Reston Merchants Association may still be weighing their options when it comes to dealing with paid parking, but one restaurant at Reston Town Center is already moving forward with a lawsuit against manager Boston Properties.

Jackson's Mighty Fine Food & Lucky Lounge at RTC has filed a lawsuit against BXP "over the cumbersome paid parking system" known as ParkRTC that went live on Jan. 3 and ended free parking at the Town Center, according to a statement from the restaurant.

Jackson's, which has operated since 2008, claims they negotiated lease terms that prevents BXP from implementing parking controls that "unduly impede" guests, and requires that BXP "must allow Jackson's to validate parking, at no expense to Jackson's," the statement claims.

“Our team has been inundated with complaints from guests who tell us that the process to use the validation system is cumbersome and confusing,” Orson Williams, Managing Partner at Jackson’s, said in the statement. “On top of that, Boston Properties’ parking attendants often give incorrect and misleading instructions when our guests seek help in getting unlimited free parking."

The statement goes on to claim that customers have struggled with using the ParkRTC system, and the restaurant has received many complaints about it.

"We did not want to have to sue and we tried to work with Boston Properties to address our concerns and our rights under the lease to give our customers free and hassle-free parking, both before and after Boston Properties implemented this parking system," Jon Norton, CEO of Great American Restaurants, said in the statement. "But they were uncompromising and appeared disinterested in working with us to provide our guests a better experience at Reston Town Center.

"It appears to us that they are focused on maximizing revenue instead of honoring the spirit and terms of our lease, and seem unconcerned with the impact their system has had on the Town Center," he added. "It is disappointing that they have spent so much time bolstering a PR campaign rather than working with us to fulfill their lease obligations."

Image: Patch staff