Have you ever wondered how Bozzuto works with retail tenants to bring their vision to life? The answer— tenant coordinators. When it comes to design and construction criteria, tenant coordinators act as a liaison between owners and retail tenants. Their primary goal is to ensure tenants open on time and in accordance with their lease. Space conditions are outlined in a Landlord Work Letter within a retail lease. These letters often contain structural, architectural, plumbing, mechanical, electrical and metering requirements of the space. Tenant coordinators review this letter to determine the landlord’s responsibilities.
Sometimes problems arise and it’s up to the tenant coordinator to devise creative solutions. They do this by proactively reviewing all tenant drawings, providing comments and resolving design or construction issues before they happen. “We take a systematic approach to resolving common problems in order to get retail tenants open for business,” commented Director of Tenant Coordination Richard Brigstocke. But, when a conflict does take place, tenant coordinators are the ones who communicate with property management, ownership and the tenant to provide acceptable resolutions.
One situation many properties and retail tenants run into are noise complaints. The District in D.C. received several complaints about a noisy exhaust fan at their “traditional, just-like home” restaurant—Ted’s Bulletin. Negotiations were made and the fan was replaced. Another scenario tenant coordinators often run into is filling long-term empty vacancies. The Fitzgerald in Baltimore was struggling to fill a vacant retail space due to size constraints. The Brass Tap, a craft beer bar and restaurant, had signed a lease at The Fitzgerald, but there wasn’t enough square footage for the tenant to be profitable. In order to accommodate their use, the lease included a 619 square foot addition. Richard Brigstocke added, “The retail team came up with a creative solution of using Ipe cladding and all-glass garage doors to complement the architectural characteristics of the building.”
If you have questions for a Tenant Coordinator or want to request their help, contact Richard Brigstocke, Director of Tenant Coordination and Retail Operations at rbrigstocke@bozzuto.com.
