Accessibility Consulting for Shopping Centers Assumption It is our continuing experience that lawsuits are being filed against shopping centers and malls whose owners believe that their facilities are fully compliant with the ADA. We recommend a proactive approach. Step One We perform access surveys of shopping centers and malls, and prepare reports that identify latent barriers to access, explain the pertinent points of law and recommend alternate methods of achieving compliance. (Contact) Step Two Your architect and facility management will use our access survey report as the basis of an ADA compliance plan. An effective plan will include design requirements, budget costs, priorities and a timetable. We remain on-call to your staff during this process. Some barriers can be eliminated immediately and at no cost; others may require a simple change in policy. Significant barriers can trigger major alterations. Having a compliance plan in place shows good-faith, and the elimination of barriers reduces exposure. Accessible Route It is often assumed that accessibility at a shopping center or mall begins with accessible parking, but not everybody drives. Cognizant of this, federal law requires an accessible route from nearby sidewalks and bus stops to the entrance. A compliant accessible route is also required which connects the entrances of the various tenancies to each other. Defense expert in an ADA lawsuit We provide expert witness services for shopping centers and malls sued under federal civil rights law with regard to accessibility. We prepare an access survey report for the defense, addressing each allegation. We work with owners and their attorneys to keep the matter in a settlement conference instead of a courtroom. We stand by the defendant through the settlement process, and prepare rebuttal to frivolous and unfounded demands. We identify the minimum requirements of enforceable federal statute, and recommend the least costly methods of achieving compliance. We recommend settlement language that will help the defendant to maximize any tax incentives that may be available for removal of barriers to access. Accessibility review of architectural plans For a new shopping center or for renovations to an existing one, we provide plan review services for your architects, to ensure that the finished facility will be fully compliant with the requirements of state and federal accessibility law. Both site plans and building plans are reviewed. We believe that it is much more sensible to identify problems early and on paper, rather than tear out non-compliant construction in the field. We also provide site inspections at key points during construction, to verify that things are being built as designed. Shopping centers and malls we have worked with include Foothills Mall Frontier Village Miners Plaza Myerlee Square The Edge Plaza Walker Square Deon Square Franklin Mills Free State Mall Germantown Plaza Grand Mart Shopping Center Marlow Heights Shopping Center Marlton Plaza Mayfair Village Shopping Center North Hills Shopping Center North Park Mall Northwest Shopping Village Oxbridge Square Shopping Center Oxford Valley Mall Prime Outlet Reading Mall Shillington Plaza The Shops at Georgetown Park Utica Square Shopping Center VF Outlet Village Village Shops Strip Mall Washingtonian Center Westfield Shoppingtown White Flint Mall A complete project list is provided in the Curriculum Vitae. Contact