Fulton Transit Center increases security for fear of crime – but problems persist amid legal battle over MTA

At the Fulton Transit Center in Lower Manhattan, security measures have been increased due to fears of crime. But despite the improvement, tenants say there are still problems and the future is uncertain.

Four months after security staff were increased at the mall, employees at several stores said additional guards and patrols had helped curb a wave of thefts and crime.

However, the glass and steel complex at the corner of Fulton Street and Broadway still faces some problems due to an ongoing legal battle between the Metropolitan Transit Authority, which owns the building, and retail giant Westfield Fulton Center, which operates it.

Despite the litigation – which is currently in mediation, according to federal court documents – employees at the mall’s stores say things are now a little safer than before.

“It’s better now because we have security forces,” said a Gateway News Stand employee. “It used to be worse.”

This represents an improvement from March, when several employees and store managers told The Washington Post that the store had become a den of thieves who were stealing tip jars and merchandise, forcing several stores to close.

Several attributed the change to Fulton’s hiring of at least one security guard per shift. The store opened in November 2014 but has struggled to attract and retain retailers.

On Tuesday, two security guards paced the second floor, keeping their eyes on the crowd.

When the gleaming $1.4 billion transit hub opened a few blocks south of City Hall, it was a centerpiece of the Big Apple’s plan to revitalize the area after the Sept. 11 attacks, which destroyed much of the public transit infrastructure, court documents say.

The center also connects five subway stations and a network of nine subway lines, which, according to the MTA, carry up to 300,000 passengers daily.

But rising crime – as well as the increase in homeless people, street gangs and vandalism – is one of the reasons why Westfield Fulton Center wanted to withdraw from its operating agreement with the MTA, according to court documents.

The complex, which the MTA originally touted as the next Rockefeller Center or Grand Central Station, has seen increasing levels of assault and intimidation of employees, the company claimed.

“Few companies want to open and operate a business where their employees and customers are regularly exposed to theft, property damage, physical assault or threats of such,” the company said in March in response to an MTA lawsuit demanding that it remain in business as a manager.

“As security at the Fulton Transit Center continued to deteriorate, it became nearly impossible to attract ‘quality’ subtenants. Existing subtenants refused to renew their leases, some even terminated their leases early, and the remaining subtenants asked Westfield for help,” it said.

On Wednesday, the MTA announced that the two parties had agreed on a “detailed allocation of tasks” as part of the main lease.

“The MTA has full confidence in the NYPD and local law enforcement to ensure security at Fulton Center and continues to require that Westfield meet its lease obligations and operate Fulton Center in accordance with the standards and requirements set forth in the lease,” agency spokeswoman Joana Flores said in a statement.

A representative for Westfield Fulton Center declined to comment Wednesday, citing pending litigation.

But even though Westfield is looking to terminate its 20-year lease – which has about 10 years left to run – local people say the problems have diminished.

But that doesn’t mean they’re done with it – a man named Daniel who owns Dunkin’ said thieves are still stealing small items.

“They take a bottle of water and run away,” he said. “It happens everywhere. But we are safer now.”

Others, like an employee at the nearby Krispy Kreme, said the night hours are the toughest.

“I hear from the people on the night shift, they usually come at around 8 p.m.,” said the worker. “Sometimes they are completely out of control. They steal from other shops [like] Duane Reade. They try to trade what they steal for donuts.

“A few weeks ago, one of them threw a bag of Cheetos in a manager’s face because he wanted to exchange it for a doughnut,” he continued. “But they told him they couldn’t do that.”

The manager of bubble tea shop Gong Cha told The Washington Post he still has problems with thieves trying to steal money from the cash register or defraud the store by claiming they didn’t receive orders they supposedly placed through DoorDash or Uber Eats.

“These crooks have taken their game to a new level,” he said, adding that the additional security guard helped.

“I don’t think it’s enough, but it’s a lot better than before,” he said.

However, there are other complaints about Fulton, including weak air conditioning and glass doors that don’t open and close reliably.

As a result, temperatures inside are just as high as outside, and some vendors are burning hot.

“They haven’t worked for a long time,” one said. “The MTA always says they’re going to fix something, 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 that the air conditioning in that area was not working.

“It doesn’t work on this side,” he said. “Walk past the liquor store, it works there.”

“That’s not right,” he continued. “We pay a lot of rent.”