What you should know
- Westfield signed a 20-year lease with the MTA, but wants to abandon operations at Fulton Center more than 10 years before the deal ends, according to a lawsuit the New York City Transit Authority filed days after receive the news from the shopping center operator.
- The Fulton Center shopping complex operates on a transit hub that serves eight subway lines and is the busiest subway complex in Lower Manhattan, according to the MTA. The transit center opened in November 2014, and Westfield and the MTA signed its lease in May of that year.
- Currently, there are several empty stalls in the huge glass shopping center and only a few big-name tenants remain. Most of the store operators are gone. Westfield is using some of the empty storefronts as art gallery space.
NEW YORK — The company that manages the Fulton Center shopping center told the MTA last month that it wants to end its lease because of crime and homelessness problems.
Westfield signed a 20-year lease with the MTA, but wants to abandon operations at Fulton Center more than 10 years before the deal ends, according to a lawsuit the New York City Transit Authority filed days after receive the news from the shopping center operator.
The Fulton Center shopping complex operates on a transit hub that serves eight subway lines and is the busiest subway complex in Lower Manhattan, according to the MTA. The transit center opened in November 2014, and Westfield and the MTA signed its lease in May of that year.
Westfield said that as a result of concerns about crime in the area, some store owners are not renewing leases, while others are canceling them early.
“It’s a beautiful place, but it could be a little better taken care of and they need to do more to help the homeless,” said traveler Janice Kiser.
Currently, there are several empty stalls in the huge glass shopping center and only a few big-name tenants remain. Most of the store operators are gone. Westfield is using some of the empty storefronts as art gallery space.
“Some of the art is good, coming from an art person, I like what they’re doing with the vacancy,” said traveler Leon Singh.
The MTA is rejecting Westfield’s plans and has filed a lawsuit in federal court to keep the company in place.
“NYCTA will face irreparable harm if Westfield abandons Fulton Center in breach of its lease obligations by promoting its own selfish business interests over the interests of NYCTA, the retail establishments at Fulton Center and members of the public,” the statement says. demand.
Westfield has not responded to NBC New York’s requests for comment. The lawsuit includes a letter from a Westfield executive, who said “the current situation is financially unsustainable and Westfield is no longer in a position to operate its Fulton Center facility.”
NBC New York asked the MTA for comment on Westfield’s request to terminate its lease. A spokesperson said: “While we cannot comment on specific pending litigation, we have full confidence in the NYPD, which has deployed officers to the subway, to ensure safety throughout the transportation system, including the Fulton Center.”
There are three legal reasons why Westfield could terminate its long-term lease, but crime and homelessness are not included among those reasons, according to the MTA. The MTA said in the lawsuit that it offered to work with Westfield to address its “operational concerns.”
The lawsuit claims that after the 9/11 attacks, Fulton Center was the centerpiece of redevelopment in Lower Manhattan and hopes to persuade a judge to keep Westfield there.
The MTA said that in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the city, “retail is key to making public transportation more attractive to the public.”
Westfield also operates the World Trade Center shopping center within Oculus, another transit hub that serves PATH trains and several subway lines.
2024-03-14 06:12:15
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