Northeast Ohio Old Malls Rot While New Shopping Centers Sprawl

/in

rolling-acres-atrium-63afbf628e008086

Article Reprinted from www.cleveland.com

Even as vacancy climbs at Northeast Ohio shopping centers, ambitious developers are culling new land in far-out suburbs to build more shopping space.

The rotting malls and town centers residents abandon as they sprawl to newer and farther suburbs become the blight of a region, a recurring cycle of waste that leaves the region pock-marked with empty parking lots and caved in roofs.

By 2000, Northeast Ohio had amassed one of the largest surpluses of retail space in the nation, according to a report by the Cuyahoga County Regional Planning Commission. Even what was once the largest mall in the nation sat half empty in North Randall, development plowed on, at Legacy Village and SouthPark and Crocker Park.

Read the full article at

http://www.cleveland.com/akron/index.ssf/2015/08/the_trash_of_northeast_ohio_ol.html#incart_river

Vacant Property Maintenance & the Importance of Inspections

/in

vacant-property-maintenance

Vacant Property Maintenance Planning

Vacant property maintenance is time consuming and tedious. Having an extra property on your hands, especially one located remotely, provides challenges to maintaining your investment. Coordination, repair and proper reporting takes up precious time that you could use to grow your business. At Commercial Asset Preservation (CAP), we’ll inspect and maintain your property so that you can focus on running your business or division.  In this blog, we’ll discuss the key questions you should consider before determining a maintenance plan for your vacant property/properties.

Each of our clients has different property security needs.  These needs are based upon the geographic location of the property, the neighborhood in which it resides, the type of building or facility and the property’s overall condition.

Location, Location, Location

Your once prosperous locations has seen drastic change. That is probably one of the reason you needed to shutter the doors. What can you expect with your property? Properties in neighborhoods with high crime rates may need the following:

  • Graffiti or dumping checks
  • Break-in checks
  • Routine property inspection checks (based upon your needs)
  • Posting of “no trespassing signs”
  • Fencing installation and maintenance
  • Security lighting

Cold Climate

For those properties more exposed to climate change, we recomend regular site checks. This is specifically important during the winter months, when pipes are likely to burst or freeze/thaw impacts the roof. A routine inspection can identify a problem early, saving thousands of dollars of damage. We can work with you to determine the amount of property checks needed.

Utility Management

Many times when properties become vacant, it is easy for clients to let utilities go. We can help you by managing payments. Simply put the utilities in our name. We process the bills and provide accountability and reporting. . The gas is operating and the lights are always on, providing your property with security and protection from elements and other intrusions..

Around-The-Clock Customer Service

At Commercial Asset Preservation, we pride ourselves in our great customer service program. We inspect your property, provide written and visual proof of work completed and detail the problems that need to be addressed. There is someone available around the clock to answer our emergency hotline. Should you have an emergency, around a holiday or even in the middle of the  night, you can get rest assured we’re here to help.  Safety forces can reach us, and receive entry assistance before the need to force entry into your building.

For more information on vacant property maintenance, contact Nancy Carrillo at 407-883-1139 or nancyc@commercialpreservation.com.

Tear it Down Without Ripping Your Brand Apart

/in

deimaging photo

It is every business owner’s worst nightmare. After years of hard work and dedication, one or more of your business locations is closing.  Now you’re left with a vacant building that still has all of your company signage and branding inside and out.  If you still operate in other cities or states, having an ugly looking closed location can hurt your company image and brand. That’s where Commercial Asset Preservation (CAP) comes in. We use a detailed process called De-imaging to remove your brand’s image from the building, including signage, logos, window stickers, paint color, and distinctive construction features that could represent the vacant building as once belonging to your business or franchise.

 What is De-Imaging?

De-imaging, also known as de-branding or de-identification, is the process of removing a company’s image from a building. CAP performs two types of de-imaging: soft de-identification or bagging and full de-branding or de-imaging.

Soft De-Imaging

Soft de-imaging is a smaller scale de-imaging process. Exterior pole and other street signage is covered by our team and posters are removed from all windows and either discarded or stored for future use.  Any brand identifying items, such as menu boards, are covered with tie backs.  This method allows the menu boards and other signage to be used in the future by our clients or a new operator that moves into the building.

Full De-Imaging

Full de-imaging is a much more intensive process than soft de-imaging. The building is essentially converted into a generic looking “shell” through this process. Signage is removed from the pole, menu boards are taken down, and window stickers are detached. If there are any brand-specific features about the building that makes the building identifiable as once being your brand or restaurant, we can correct that for you. For example, one of our client’s properties has a very distinctive roof above the entryway. We took down that portion of the roof and installed a new traditional style roof, so that the vacant building wouldn’t tarnish our client’s brand. We will take into account your specific needs in developing a full de-imaging plan.

Full de-imaging also helps CAP’s clients vacate a building and ensures that the property meets local safety and health requirements. Steps taken to meet these requirements include:

  • Changing locks to all entry doors
  • Installing a lock box
  • Boarding of all windows and glass doors, if required under the lease agreement and/or to prevent vandalism
  • Re-glazing broken windows if boarding is not desired or permitted
  • Repainting the exterior to remove trademarks and color schemes of the former tenant
  • Removing all point-of-purchase elements and trademarks, merchandise, any promotional decals, and other promotional material or merchandising items
  • Properly capping all exposed electrical wiring
  • Properly terminating all utilities
  • Ensuring that all of the interior and exterior (including dumpsters) is free from trash and debris
  • Removing all food, paper and other interior debris from the premises

De-Imaging is great way for you to maintain a strong brand image after a closure or multiple closures throughout your portfolio. For more information on de-imaging, please contact Nancy Carrillo, Vice President & National Sales Executive at 407-883-1139 or nancyc@commercialpreservation.com.