Westdale Mall eyes Burlington Coat Factory

Burlington Coat Factory appears to be coming to Westdale in Cedar Rapids, and documents filed with the city show Lindale Mall is planning a stand-alone addition.

Plans were filed earlier this week with the Cedar Rapids Planning Department for a 40,700-square-foot building that would house a Burlington Coat Factory. The store would be located between Younkers and a 99,000-square-foot building that formerly housed a Von Maur department store.

Denver, Colo.-based Frew Development Group is leading a $90 million redevelopment of Westdale. John Frew, president and CEO of Frew Development, declined to comment on Burlington Coat Factory, saying a lease has not been signed with a tenant for the new building.

Burlington Coat Factory operates more than 545 stores in 45 states and Puerto Rico, including locations in Bettendorf and Des Moines. The off-price retailer, founded in 1972, sells women's, men's and children's apparel and accessories, home goods, baby products and coats.

Calls to Burlington Stores, corporate parent of Burlington Coat Factory, seeking comment were not returned Friday.

Burlington Stores on Thursday reported net sales of $5.1 billion in fiscal 2015, up 5.9 percent from $4.8 billion in year 2014. Adjusted net income increased 26 percent to $174.6 million, or $2.31 per share, in fiscal 2015 from $138.6 million, or $1.83 per share, in fiscal 2014.

Across town at Lindale Mall, construction documents filed with the Cedar Rapids Planning Department show a 13,982-square-foot building in what is a parking lot north of Younkers.

The new building would be separated from the mall by about 30 feet. Glen Bailey, project director with LK Architecture of Wichita, Kan., wrote in an email to the city that Lindale eventually may connect the building to the mall by filling in the gap to provide additional space for lease.

Within the last year, Lindale completed a 14,600-square-foot expansion that added Chipotle, Cheddar's Casual Cafe, Hurricane Grill & Wings and a number of shops.

Calls to Lindale owner W.P. Glimcher of Columbus, Ohio, seeking comment on the proposed addition were not returned Friday.