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Kimco agrees to ensure access for people with disabilities at NY properties
Originally published: May 22, 2014 6:17 PM
Updated: May 22, 2014 8:10 PM
By LISA DU lisa.du@newsday.com
http://www.newsday.com/business/kimco-agrees-to-ensure-access-for-people-with-disabilities-at-ny-properties-1.8155913
Kimco Realty Corp., a New Hyde Park-based real estate investment trust, will undergo a review of 34 of its New York retail properties to ensure that they meet accessibility standards for disabled persons as part of a settlement, Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman said Thursday.
Kimco -- which is one of the largest owners of shopping centers in North America -- will survey its properties to determine if entrances, sidewalks and other paths are in compliance with requirements set by the Americans with Disabilities Act, and take remedial action on areas that are not up to standards. Of the 34 shopping centers that will be reviewed, 19 are on Long Island.
Kimco will also pay New York State $90,000 to resolve the investigation.
Kimco spokesman David Bujnicki said Thursday the company hopes to expedite the review process as soon as possible. Kimco owns about 70 shopping centers in New York State, and 835 properties in the United States and abroad.
Schneiderman opened the investigation into Kimco after a Staten Island man filed a complaint in 2012 about barriers that prevented him from entering a Kimco property in his wheelchair.
The settlement is part of the attorney general's ongoing initiative to bring retail properties' accessibility for disabled people up to standards.
Last month, Manhattan-based Vornado Realty Corp., one of the largest owners of commercial space in the U.S., entered into a similar agreement with the attorney general's office.
Originally published: May 22, 2014 6:17 PM
Updated: May 22, 2014 8:10 PM
By LISA DU lisa.du@newsday.com
http://www.newsday.com/business/kimco-agrees-to-ensure-access-for-people-with-disabilities-at-ny-properties-1.8155913
Kimco Realty Corp., a New Hyde Park-based real estate investment trust, will undergo a review of 34 of its New York retail properties to ensure that they meet accessibility standards for disabled persons as part of a settlement, Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman said Thursday.
Kimco -- which is one of the largest owners of shopping centers in North America -- will survey its properties to determine if entrances, sidewalks and other paths are in compliance with requirements set by the Americans with Disabilities Act, and take remedial action on areas that are not up to standards. Of the 34 shopping centers that will be reviewed, 19 are on Long Island.
Kimco will also pay New York State $90,000 to resolve the investigation.
Kimco spokesman David Bujnicki said Thursday the company hopes to expedite the review process as soon as possible. Kimco owns about 70 shopping centers in New York State, and 835 properties in the United States and abroad.
Schneiderman opened the investigation into Kimco after a Staten Island man filed a complaint in 2012 about barriers that prevented him from entering a Kimco property in his wheelchair.
The settlement is part of the attorney general's ongoing initiative to bring retail properties' accessibility for disabled people up to standards.
Last month, Manhattan-based Vornado Realty Corp., one of the largest owners of commercial space in the U.S., entered into a similar agreement with the attorney general's office.