Westfield, which bought Southcenter late last year, have entered into an agreement to buy the Red Lion Hotel Southcenter, a six-acre parcel adjacent to the mall. Hilton Hotels Corp, which owns the Red Lion, will close the 198-room facility in December. The sale is expected to be complete by January.

The purchase price for the hotel is valued at $2.8 million. Company officials did not elaborate on expansion specifics, but did say that enlarging the retail facility is definitely their intent.

"When Westfield acquired Southcenter earlier this year, we had already recognized its potential for growth," says David Doll, Westfield's senior executive vice president of development. "We are currently in the process of developing expansion plans and anticipate submitting our application for redevelopment with the city of Tukwila during the first quarter of 2003."