Real Estate

Every year, Hunter College admits individuals and organizations onto its campuses with license agreements for Retail and Space Rentals.  Hunter has two rental clients who intend to continue operations as well as a long-term license agreement with Calvary Baptist Church, who host religious services. The college will continue to make space available in a safe way for long and short-term space rentals.

Moving forward, Hunter College will follow the General Safety Guidelines of the College and NYS Forward for industry-specific guidelines in order to resume retail and space rentals that provide safe on-campus experiences. We will work closely with our licensees to ensure these safety practices are followed.

Hunter currently houses two retail spaces: Grishko, a ballet retailer, and Ampak, a newsstand. These vendors will submit safety reopening plans in accordance with State regulations for retail spaces. All plans will be reviewed by the Director for Public Safety and reopening is contingent upon Safety Plan approval.

Hunter College offers third party renters the ability to book space at each of our properties. Rentals will be managed to meet the capacity levels targeted by the college during different stages of the plan. When possible, rental populations will be provided with separate entry and exit or scheduled during an off-peak time.

To accommodate physical distancing, there are a number of large spaces on our campuses that can be made available on a limited basis for rentals. These include large outdoor spaces such as the Terraces on Main Campus as well as auditoria, the Kaye Playhouse, and performance and rehearsal studios throughout the North Building and Thomas Hunter Hall.

Any rentals at the Hunter College Campus Schools or Silberman will be done in close coordination with HCCS.  There will be no rentals during school hours. After-hours activities will be coordinated closely so that sufficient time is given for required cleaning and disinfecting.

Hunter will follow the NYS Forward Industry-Specific Guidance for rentals on campus. Potential uses for rental spaces appear below.

Stage 2: NY Forward Approved Industries

• Film shoots
• K-12 educational uses
• Outdoor gatherings
• Live-streamed events
• Religious services

Stage 3: Indoor Recreation and Assembly Spaces at Modified Capacities, TBD

• Indoor Recreation – Gyms and pools
• Assembly Spaces – Auditoriums and theaters

Hunter College will consider reopening these spaces to long-term rental clients when safe to do so in accordance with the NYS Forward guidance.

All rentals shall follow the guidance provided in the CUNY “Protocol for Approval of Licensed Use of Campus Facilities by Third Party Vendors,” sent by Hector Batista, Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer, on July 15, 2020.

For each third-party rental opportunity, we will do the following:

1. Conduct a Proposal Review
   1. Create a detailed proposal that includes event information including desired spaces, number of clients, dates, times, logistics, pricing
   2. Include a Safety Plan for compliance with New York State and City Departments of Public Health and University policies and guidance regulating the health, safety and welfare of the University’s faculty, staff, students, and the general public. Include information regarding method for reporting to the college any virus outbreaks and other incidents occurring during the licensee’s operations or activities while on campus and thereafter; the Safety plan will also be submitted to the Director of Public Safety for approval
   3. Submit the proposal to Hunter’s Legal Affairs Designee (LAD) who will conduct a risk/benefit analysis
   4. Should the LAD determine that entering into an agreement would be in Hunter College’s best interests, the proposal will be submitted to the Office of the General Counsel (OGC). Our Rentals Team will wait for OGC approval before entering into any agreement with a client.
2. Utilize New OGC-approved License Agreements
   1. All license agreements for facility use during this period will include the COVID-19 Addendum
   2. Campuses shall be responsible for negotiating the agreements, with the assistance and support of members of the OGC
   3. The license agreement will provide that the cost and care of the safety and security of the licensee, its personnel, guests and invitees shall be the responsibility of the licensee and not the University, college, or related entity
   4. The agreement shall not require the college to incur any additional responsibilities that might indirectly place a strain on University resources, including University Public Safety services
   5. The agreement must provide that the sanitization and restoration of campus property and facilities shall be the responsibility of the licensee and subject to standards developed by the college with the support and cooperation of the University, and shall in all cases address union harmony
   6. The OGC must approve the final version of the license agreement as to form prior to signature by the parties, even if the contracting party is an auxiliary enterprise corporation or other related entity
   7. Agreements must be executed by an officer of the respective college or related entit
   8. Hunter College shall provide copies of fully-executed license agreements to OGC for retention
3. Reporting and Noncompliance
   1. Hunter College shall report to the OGC any violation or breach of the terms and conditions of any short-term facility use license agreement
   2. If we are made aware of a COVID-19 virus outbreak associated with the licensee or the event covered by the license, our Rentals Team will tell our Coronavirus Campus Liaisonwho shall notify the Office of the COO and the OGC