Sunday, August 5, 2007

Master Leaseholder for Main Street Retail?


A member of RIRA Common Council proposes that a private real estate firm become the Master Leaseholder for the Roosevelt Island Main Street retail space. The Master Leasehlolder form of ownership may end the blight of empty storefronts, such as the former Pizza and Bakery, by removing obstacles to leasing commercial space from RIOC resulting from restrictions placed on RIOC due to the 2005 Public Authorities Act.
As outlined in the Main Street Wire:

Our solution is simple: We lease the commercial space to a master leaseholder who then sublets the individual storefronts. You’ve heard this approach before, but we added a few restrictions that will give the Roosevelt Island public a role and a voice: An advisory group of residents will help the leaseholder decide what kind of stores, restaurants, and services we need.

I see a potential problem with the idea of a Master Leaseholder. I believe that, excluding the occupied Gristedes space, there is approximately only 40,000 square feet of Main Street retail space controlled by RIOC. That may not be a large enough inventory of leasable space to interest a well qualified real estate management company to own and or manage. I recall that Jones Lang LaSalle put out a Request for Proposal for a Master Leaseholder for the Main Street retail space and nothing came of it.