Accessibility Consulting for Shopping Centers Overview It is our continuing experience that lawsuits are being filed against the owners of shopping centers and malls who believe that their facilities are fully compliant with the ADA. We recommend a proactive approach. Step One We perform an access survey of the property, and prepare a report that identifies latent barriers to access, explains the pertinent points of law and recommends alternate methods of achieving compliance with the minimum standards of federal and state law. (Contact) Step Two Your architect and facility management will use our access survey report as the basis of an ADA Action 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 Not everybody drives. Cognizant of this, federal law now requires that, where a pedestrian route is provided from nearby sidewalks and bus stops to the entrance, the route must be accessible. 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. It is easier 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 Bardstown Square Conestoga Mall Crossgates Mall Crossroads Deon Square Dixie Manor Shopping Center Foothills Mall Franklin Mills Free State Mall Frontier Village Germantown Plaza Grand Island Mall Grand Mart Shopping Center Hollywood Shopping Center KingsPointe Village Manchester Square Marlow Heights Shopping Center Marlton Plaza Mayfair Village Shopping Center Miners Plaza Myerlee Square Nichols Hills Plaza Nichols Hills Shoppes Normandy Creek Center North Hills Shopping Center North Park Mall Northtowne Center Northwest Shopping Village Oxbridge Square Shopping Center Oxford Valley Mall Paddington Square Plainview Village Center Prime Outlet Reading Mall Scottsdale Fashion Square Shillington Plaza Spring Creek Shopping Center The Edge Plaza The Plaza The Shops at Georgetown Park The Village at Woodland Hills Utica Square Shopping Center VF Outlet Village Village Shops Strip Mall Walker Square Washingtonian Center Westfield Shoppingtown White Flint Mall Wilshire Village A complete project list is provided in the Curriculum Vitae. Contact