By Howard M. Wedgle
I spoke to Nick LeMasters, the General Manager of the Cherry Creek Shopping Center recently to speak mostly about the upcoming paid parking, Smart Parking System starting January 17th of next year. Due to the massive redevelopment in the Cherry Creek area in just the last few years, a lot more people are living and working here. To address the over-parking of their lots, Taubman, the owner of the shopping center, decided to implement this innovative, state-of-the-art parking system that no one else in the metro area has. This system will include all decks & surface lots, which includes retailers from the mall to Bed, Bath & Beyond.
ColoradoGrandparent.com: Various news agencies about the metro area have reported about the planned parking fee structure for the covered & lot surface parking. What hasn’t been told?
Nick LeMasters: The amount of technology we are introducing to the customer experience overall. We believe that customers are going to appreciate the new system whereby they will be able to find parking quicker and much more efficiently and have more parking available to them. The perception has been where parking is hard to find and with what’s going on in the neighborhood, I think people are going to be impressed with the technology of our parking guidance system. From monument signage showing you how many spaces per deck; what’s open & what’s closed and a “find my car” feature to remind you where you parked your car. We will have one of the most advanced parking experiences available today.
GP: Will that be done through an app?
Nick: Eventually, it will be done through an app. When the app will become available, it will help with payment options. Until the app is completed, there will be 27 “Pay on foot” machines, which will be in very convenient locations. You won’t have to pay at the gate, which will make things more efficient. This machine will also help a person to find their car.
GP: I related a story to Nick that a few years ago, at the end of the year holiday time, I actually couldn’t remember what level I parked my car. The security person asked me what I remember seeing when I got out of my car. I said “I saw cars”. He did help me find my car.
GP: The first hour is free, correct?
Nick: Right. The second hour is $3.00. The next hour after that is $1.00. Effectively, $4.00 for 3 hours. After that, it’s $2.00 per hour with a maximum of $16.00 per day. Most people are spending less than 3 hours in the shopping center, so they are probably not going to pay more than $4.00. Around the country, it is so common to pay for parking in urban areas. What has been challenging for some people is to see how Cherry Creek has quickly become a very urbanized area. All you have to do is drive down First Avenue and you see the density, starting with hi-rise apartments, office & other mixed uses. This is almost like a small downtown now and it is not un-common for areas like that to have paid parking in retail centers. And, with Cherry Creek North having paid parking, it is currently not uncommon for people to park in our most coveted spots–sometimes all day. There was little turnover and turnover is very important in a parking lot like ours.
GP: Will retailers do a validation system?
Nick: There are a handful who will validate. So far, we know that the AMC Theatres will provide validation. Brio Tuscan Grill, the Container Store, to name just a few.
GP: What new stores are on the horizon?
Nick: We have a few that are under construction now. We are expecting five or so new stores to be open before the end of the year. For example, we have a store which we are very excited about called Cinnaholic. This is a cinnamon roll store that was featured on Shark Tank. We are thrilled to be having them join us. We have another terrific operator called Capital Teas, which will be a purveyor of high-end tea products. That kind of store really distinguishes us. We have a new location for Allen Edmonds. We’re getting them into a larger space. And, Tokyo Joes will be coming, which we’re thrilled about. Additionally, Finish Line is expanding their store.
GP: So indoor malls are not dying.
Nick: Not this indoor mall. We have to continue to offer a compelling assortment of stores anywhere in the region. We have to do the basics right. We have to make sure that our shopping center is the cleanest facility, the safest facility and we have to make sure that the customer experience is a good one, and that our service levels are unmatched in the market.
We concluded the interview with a discussion on how long Nick has been the General Manager at the mall. He started there in 1996 and has four grandchildren, all in the area.