Reprinted from www.opportunityspace.org

beautiful Cranston Street Armory in Providence, RI.

Armories in the United States were built in the 19th and 20th centuries by local and state militias to store weapons and to train volunteer soldiers. Armories typically have a large interior space that was used for drills and rooms used for weapons storage and administrative offices. With the reorganization of many local and state militia groups under the federal National Guard, today armories in their original form are typically vacant or underutilized.

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Reprinted from Ohio.Com

Downtown Akron has its share of vacant storefronts, and a new effort aims to fill some of them with temporary “pop-up” shops.

The nonprofit Downtown Akron Partnership is launching its “pop-up retail” program, seeking business owners and entrepreneurs who will be matched with downtown property owners who have empty first-floor storefront space.

Leases will run for six months.

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Reprint from NY Times

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Inside the gleaming mall here on the Sunday before Christmas, just one thing was missing: shoppers.

The upbeat music of “Jingle Bell Rock” bounced off the tiles, and the smell of teriyaki chicken drifted from the food court, but only a handful of stores were open at the sprawling enclosed shopping center. A few visitors walked down the long hallways and peered through locked metal gates into vacant spaces once home to retailers like H&M, Wet Seal and Kay Jewelers.

Across America, the Dead Malls Are Growing

“It’s depressing,” Jill Kalata, 46, said as she tried on a few of the last sneakers for sale at the Athlete’s Foot, scheduled to close in a few weeks. “This place used to be packed. And Christmas, the lines were out the door. Now I’m surprised anything is still open.”

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As 2014 comes to a close, organizations are often left with some tough budget decisions. ‘Use it or lose it’ decisions are common in corporate budgeting. Since you do not want to ‘lose’ your budget and risk facing 2015 with less capital resources, what can you do to maximize your money spent while making a worthwhile investment? Just look around…the answer is in your facilities.

Many building owners and property managers forget about winterizing a building until they are scraping snow off of their car windshield. This might be too late, as pipes may have frozen. Similarly, cold weather conditions may not permit the proper repair of critical building components. Consider addressing these seasonal activities so you do not have surprises in the dead of winter. Don’t forget about snow removal as well.

Also, consider using your budgeted dollars on property improvements that could help your off-line units sell or lease faster. Here’s a list of ideas to help preserve and prepare property for its next intended use:

•  Sprucing up the exterior, parking lot, or landscaping helps make your vacant property more attractive to buyers or potential tenants
• Consider white boxing your vacant unit to make it more user friendly for a potential tenant
• De-image properties by removing your existing name or color scheme, especially if the property has been sitting idle for an extended period of time. Taking this step removes the negative stigma associated with ownership of a vacant building
• Complete minor repairs that if not addressed could lead to a larger issue or a citation
• Protect copper wires (HVAC, plumbing, etc.)
• Install fencing around structures in at risk areas
• Property demolition can remove unwanted cost and liability from the books in the coming year

Use the remaining weeks of 2014 to your advantage and invest in your best asset. Commercial Asset Preservation provides national property maintenance, inspection and day porter services. To put them on your team, contact Marc at insulm@commercialpreservation.com or call (800) 445-0640.