Kimco Realty Corp. in New Hyde Park, a publicly traded real estate investment trust owning the largest portfolio of shopping centers in North America, has agreed to take measures to improve accessibility for disabled people at its 34 shopping centers in New York.
The agreement was announced Thursday by state Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman. He said it ensures the realty company”™s compliance with accessibility requirements and design standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act and requires Kimco to promote compliance with the federal law by its large anchor tenants.
The agreement followed an investigation launched by the attorney general”™s office after a disabled man claimed his access in a wheelchair was obstructed by barriers at Kimco-owned shopping centers on Staten Island.
Schneiderman said the agreement is part of a 2-year-old statewide initiative by his office”™s civil rights bureau to increase access to retail sites for people with disabilities. Â Another large shopping center owner, Vornado Realty Trust in Manhattan, recently agreed to bring parking lots and garages at its 21 New York shopping centers into compliance with state and federal accessibility requirements.
Schneiderman said Kimco also agreed to pay $90,000 to the state “to resolve the investigation.”
Kimco Realty owns interests in 835 shopping centers comprising 122 million square feet of leasable space in 42 states, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico and South America.
That’s in NEW Hyde Park, NY on Long Island, NOT Dutchess