With eight of New York State’s ten regions officially in Phase Four of a Four-Phase reopening process today, entertainment, retail and food businesses at Palisades Center continue to be left behind despite having just 0.9% of all COVID-19 tests returning positive in the Hudson Valley. 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.
Julene Finley of Color Me Mine publicly urged New York State, “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.” She 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 Palisades Center’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 and property taxes are substantial. In the meantime, New York residents are flowing across state borders to shop at malls in neighboring states, with no adverse health consequences documented.
This comes as Palisades Center’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 will have been tasked to enforce all of the state guidelines.
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About Palisades Center
Palisades Center is a four-level shopping center offering over 225 brands, 16 sit-down restaurants, a bowling alley, ice rink, the world’s tallest indoor ropes course, comedy club, and more. With its unique and diverse merchant mix, Palisades Center is the go-to place for local shoppers and tourists alike. To learn more, visit www.palisadescenter.com, www.facebook.com/palisadescenter, www.twitter.com/palisadescntr, or www.instagram.com/palisadescntr.
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