The Fulton Transit Center in Lower Manhattan has increased security due to crime concerns, but tenants say there are lingering problems and uncertainty about the future even as things have improved.
Four months after extra security measures were added to the center, employees at various stores say extra guards and patrols have helped stem what appeared to be a wave of theft and crime.
But problems remain at the glass-and-steel complex at the corner of Fulton Street and Broadway, due to an ongoing legal battle between the Metropolitan Transit Authority, which owns the building, and retail giant Westfield Fulton Center, which manages it.
Despite the dispute — which is currently in mediation, according to federal court documents — employees at the center’s stores say things are a little safer than they used to be.
“The situation has improved with the security measures that have been put in place,” said an employee at the Gateway News Stand. “It was worse before.”
It’s an improvement from March, when multiple employees and store managers told the Post the place turned into a den of tip jar and product thieves that forced several businesses to close.
Many attributed the change to the addition of at least one security guard per shift at Fulton, which opened in November 2014 but has struggled to attract and retain retailers.
On Tuesday, two guards walked around the second floor, their eyes turned toward the crowd.
When it opened, the gleaming $1.4 billion transportation center, located a few blocks south of City Hall, was the centerpiece of the Big Apple’s plan to revitalize the area in the wake of 9/11, which wiped out a significant amount of transit infrastructure, according to court documents.
The center also connects five underground stations and a network of nine subway lines that serve up to 300,000 passengers each day, according to the MTA.
But rising crime, along with increased homelessness, street hustlers and vandalism, is one reason Westfield Fulton Center wanted out of its operating agreement with the MTA, according to court documents.
Assaults and intimidation of employees had become increasingly common at the complex, which the MTA had initially billed as the next Rockefeller Center or Grand Central Station, the company said.
“Few businesses want to open and operate a store where their employees and customers would be routinely subjected to theft, property damage, personal injury or threats of such theft,” the company said in March in response to an MTA lawsuit demanding that the company remain in office as manager.
“As the safety and security of the Fulton Transit Center continued to deteriorate, it became nearly impossible to attract ‘high quality’ subtenants, existing subtenants refused to renew their leases and some returned their leases early, and the remaining existing subtenants pleaded with Westfield for assistance,” he continued.
On Wednesday, the MTA said the two sides had agreed to a “detailed allocation of responsibilities” in the master lease agreement.
“The MTA has full confidence in the NYPD and local security officers for the security of the Fulton Center, and continues to require Westfield to fulfill its lease obligations to operate the Fulton Center in accordance with the standards and requirements set forth in the lease agreement,” agency spokeswoman Joana Flores said in a statement.
A representative for Westfield Fulton Center declined to comment Wednesday, citing the ongoing litigation.
But even as Westfield seeks to abandon its 20-year lease – which still has about 10 years left – people there say the problems have eased.
That doesn’t mean they’re done — a man named Daniel, who owns the Dunkin’, said thieves still get away with small things.
“They take a bottle of water and run,” he said. “It happens everywhere. But we have more security now.”
Others, like an employee at a nearby Krispy Kreme store, said nighttime hours were the most difficult.
“I hear from the night clerks that they mostly come in at night around 8 p.m.,” the employee said. “Sometimes they’re angry. They steal from other stores (like) Duane Reade. They try to trade what they steal for doughnuts.”
“A couple of weeks ago, one of them threw a bag of Cheetos in a manager’s face because he wanted to trade it for a doughnut,” he continued. “But they told him they couldn’t do that.”
The manager of the Gong Cha bubble tea shop told the Post that he still faces issues with thieves trying to steal money from the cash register or scamming the place by claiming they didn’t receive orders they allegedly placed through DoorDash or Uber Eats.
“These crooks have taken their game to another level,” he said, adding that the extra security guard helped.
“I don’t think it’s enough, but it’s much better than before,” he said.
There are other complaints about Fulton, however, including weak air conditioning and glass doors that fail to open and close consistently.
This allows indoor temperatures to reflect outdoor temperatures, causing some vendors to get scalding hot.
“They haven’t been working for a long time,” one said. “The MTA, every time they say they’re going to fix it, they do it… but they never do anything. In the winter, we have to wear coats.”
The person also pointed to a part of the complex near the Broadway entrance and said the air conditioning does not work in that area.
“It doesn’t work that way,” he said. “You go through the liquor store, it works.”
“This is not normal,” he continued. “We pay a very high rent.”