PHASED OUT:
Another Day of Jobs Being Lost.
Employers and Taxpayers left in the Dark.
Thousands of Workers Sidelined by New York State’s Refusal to Allow Stores, Restaurants and Entertainment Venues to Reopen in Malls
Retailers, food businesses and entertainment venues at Walden Galleria continue to be treated unfairly as freestanding competitors move through reopening phases, despite being fully prepared to follow published guidance
Local Government Sales Tax Revenue is Lost
Buffalo, NY – With Western New York officially entering Phase Four of New York State’s Four-Phase reopening process tomorrow, entertainment, retail and food businesses at Walden Galleria continue to be left behind. Tenants continue to call for equal treatment and be permitted to open at the same time as other businesses in the local market and in neighboring states. Yet the State of New York ignores their responsible pleas, announcing last week that malls would remain closed.
Mike O’Hara of Laux Sporting Goods urged the Governor’s office, “Let us open. We are ready. We have thoroughly prepared to reopen our businesses under the State’s safety guidelines, and the mall’s management has done its part as well.”
He continued, “It has now been four weeks since we were blindsided by removal from the phased reopening process. We really need to re-start our businesses and provide jobs to our workers immediately. We are being treated unfairly and there is no logical reason to force us to remain closed.”
Nearly all of Walden Galleria’s tenants remain in limbo waiting for the State to allow them to reopen. The property needs to fully open sooner rather than later in order for tenants to have a fair shot at salvaging their businesses and keeping people employed in the local communities that they serve. The impact on local sales property taxes are substantial.
This comes as Walden Galleria’s tenants have taken extensive measures to ensure the safety of shoppers and workers, which include but are not limited to:
- Enhanced cleaning and sanitizing
- Proactive touchless disinfecting
- Face masks required to worn by all guests
- Social distancing prompts & signage
- Directional prompts & signage for foot traffic patterns
- Hand sanitizer stations
- Ongoing curbside pick-up options
- Increased air circulation, air filtration and the amount of fresh air pumped into the center
- A “Safety First” PSA awareness campaign; and
- Covid-19 guidance for visitors and store employees.
In addition, on-site security teams have been tasked to enforce all of the state guidelines.
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About Walden Galleria
Walden Galleria is the Buffalo-Niagara region’s premier shopping, dining, and entertainment destination. With over 200 retailers, 8 sit-down restaurants, an international food court, and Regal Cinemas Stadium 16 with RPX theatres and full reclining seats, Walden Galleria truly dominates the retail market. Walden Galleria attracts over 23 million visitors a year by offering an impressive and unique selection of retail, restaurants, and entertainment that cannot be found anywhere else in the market including Anthropologie, lululemon athletica, Free People, Urban Outfitters, Apple Computer, Microsoft Store, ZARA, World of Beer, Texas de Brazil, The Cheesecake Factory, Dave & Buster’s, 5 Wits and many more! For more information, visit www.waldengalleria.com.
About Pyramid Management Group, LLC
Pyramid Management Group is one of the largest, most innovative, privately-held real estate developers in the northeast. Headquartered in Syracuse, New York, Pyramid’s portfolio of dynamic shopping, dining and entertainment destinations and expanding hospitality presence dominate the northeast with 14 properties located throughout New York and Massachusetts. For 50 years, Pyramid has built its reputation on being first, fast, ahead of the curve and always what’s next, leading the industry in combining the best elements of traditional retail with world-class dining and entertainment, all under one roof. For more information, visit www.pyramidmg.com.