From the Daily News:The family of outgoing MTA Chairman Dale Hemmerdinger is quietly angling to regain control of the tony Queens mall it founded three years ago but lost to foreclosure in February, sources said.
The Shops at Atlas Park, an outdoor complex in Glendale anchored by a movie theater and restaurants, is controlled by a court-appointed lawyer until a foreclosure sale, expected to happen late this year or in early 2010.
Community leaders believe the Hemmerdingers recently formed ATCO Advisory Services, a subsidiary of the clan's retail management firm, to prepare to buy the mall at their own foreclosure sale.
"They are at least making moves to look at acquiring the property," said Lydon Sleeper, the chief of staff for City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village).
Hemmerdinger's son, Damon, who was the mall's development director and serves as principal of ATCO Advisory, denied that the venture was created to bid on Atlas Park.
Paul Millus, the center's court-appointed receiver, said he didn't know what the family might do.
But Sleeper was direct when asked if the Hemmerdingers are positioning themselves to buy the Cooper Ave. complex.
"The different things that we've heard seem to suggest that," he said, declining to reveal his sources.
6 comments:
I know that the previous management took a lot of heat over the mall but they seemed to want to make something new and unique for the area.
The current management's changes have only seemed to turn people off (closing the fountain, little advertising and no events).
I for one hope that the Hemmerdingers return to run it and have learned their lesson as far as selection of retailers.
Atlas Park was doomed from the beginning. They put in upscale stores in a blue collar neighborhood. Not enough variety of shops to make the price of gas & parking worth the trip.
Turn this into an outlet mall and they will come..they will come in droves...oh, and get rid of the parking fees or make it a low flat fee!
Last poster - now those are good marketing ideas.
I just paid $17 to park for 2 1/2 hours at this place. I will not be doing that again! Cheaper to park in a Manhattan garage if I enter by 10 am.
I just paid $17 to park for 2 1/2 hours at this place. I will not be doing that again! Cheaper to park in a Manhattan garage if I enter by 10 am.
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Which garage did you park in?
last time I was there, it was $3 for 6 hours
I know that the previous management took a lot of heat over the mall but they seemed to want to make something new and unique for the area.
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Careful this is Queens. You might get change but you might not like it....
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