Right to Nonexclusive Use of Parking Spaces Doesn't Include Long-Term Storage of Equipment

Facts: The owners of a shopping center sued the anchor tenant, a grocery store, after a dispute arose over the tenant's use of common areas behind the store. The trial court found that the tenant violated its lease by placing large, seasonal storage containers in the center's parking spaces, but also concluded that the tenant's practice of keeping bread racks and similar items in parking spaces was permissible under lease provisions allowing the use of common areas for the “loading and unloading of merchandise.” The owners appealed.