Pyramid fined $160K, agrees to resolve accessibility issues at its malls including Destiny

Syracuse–based Pyramid Management Group, LLC has agreed to make sure people with disabilities have “equal access” to the indoor and outdoor commons areas at its 12 malls in New York state.

The agreement applies to Pyramid properties that include Destiny USA in Syracuse; Sangertown Square in New Hartford; and Salmon Run Mall in Watertown, according to a news release the office of New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman issued Thursday.

Schneiderman’s investigation of Pyramid was part of an ongoing initiative to ensure accessibility at shopping malls and shopping centers across New York, his office said in the release.

Besides the agreement, Pyramid is also paying a fine of $160,000 to resolve the investigation, Schneiderman’s office said.

BJNN sought reaction from Pyramid Management Group, but the company didn’t immediately respond to our request for comment.

The agreement

As part of the agreement, Pyramid will retain an ADA consultant who will report to the attorney general’s office on compliance with the agreement by Pyramid for three years. The consultant will also survey the covered shopping malls to determine necessary “remediations,” Schneiderman’s office said.

ADA is short for the Americans with Disabilities Act, a law that Congress approved in 1990.

It “prohibits discrimination and ensures equal opportunity for persons with disabilities in employment, state and local government services, public accommodations, commercial facilities, and transportation,” according to ADA.gov, a website with information about the law.

The agreement also calls for Pyramid to take “remedial action” to ensure that the common areas of each shopping mall comply with the accessibility standards.

In addition, the firm will also develop new policies prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability and ensure “future compliance with ADA requirements,” according to Schneiderman’s office.

Pyramid will conduct ADA training for relevant employees, including property managers and maintenance staff.

The firm will also submit any plans for new construction or “substantial alterations” at its shopping malls that the ADA consultant will review.

The agreement calls for Pyramid to post accessibility maps for each shopping mall on its website, as well as instructions on how to obtain complimentary wheelchairs, and any other services available to customers with ambulatory disabilities.

Pyramid must also amend its standard retail lease to require tenants to “affirmatively certify” that its plans comply with accessibility requirements.

And it must take steps to promote ADA compliance by anchor tenants of its shopping malls.

Probe origin

The investigation into Pyramid followed from a complaint filed with the attorney general about accessibility barriers at Champlain Centre, a large indoor shopping mall that Pyramid manages in Plattsburgh.

The probe by the office’s civil-rights bureau included assessments of the outdoor areas of several Pyramid-managed shopping malls across the state.

It also included a “comprehensive,” expert survey of Walden Galleria, a Pyramid-managed mall in the Buffalo suburb of Cheektowaga.

The surveys revealed several “persistent” accessibility barriers across Pyramid’s portfolio.

The barriers included “improperly sized” parking spaces; steep slopes and cross slopes at curb ramps; “inadequate” signage; moveable objects in the path of travel; and other issues in the public hallways and restrooms at various malls.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com