Leasing an Alternative Lifestyle Space
So this might be a question from my own inexperience, but I’ve hit a wall in trying to secure a commercial lease. My organization organizes a regular host of events for various partner companies and groups. We’ve recently been looking to cut out the middleman and purchase/lease a space of our own. (Rather than facilitate organizers with external venues)

The trouble is, we work with a diverse cast of alternative lifestyle communities. (Groups outside the cultural norm) Still, we always mention that we aren’t creating new events, but rather taking in existing ones that have been running in local libraries, bowling alleys, restaurants and hotels for nearly 2 decades. But, no matter our income, documents, or pitch, we can’t seem to get the time of day from prospective landlords. In nearly all cases, we are told they aren’t willing to lease to us, often before meeting, or even viewing our business plan. We are never given more information than a flat ‘not interested.’ 

Our figures are more than reasonable, our income is stable, (not that most people have gotten far enough to check) and we even offered to pay a full year of our 5 year lease up front, to no avail. (We priced out buying a building, but found it too cost prohibitive) Is it because of the groups we represent? If so, how would I find out?

Does anyone have any thoughts or advice? We’ve been working on this for over a year and are pretty stumped as to why we can't seem to close on any space we look at.
[{"id": "dtnblz9", "text": "It really depends on the use and type of space. Most office buildings and retail centers have prohibitions on \"assembly.\"  Churches, event centers, etc. \n\nZoning can also be a factor. Many areas require assembly uses in residential or agricultural zoning. \n\nIts usually in place to protect quiet enjoyment for surrounding businesses. (Ie. Noise, parking, etc). \n\nCan you further detail your use?", "replies": [{"id": "dtnm0dq", "text": "Our specific use case would be building out the space for private rentals, and providing a 'pay at the door' structure for the attendees within the hosting group. (Current events without our space require preregistration and advance payments on rented space, which cuts down on attendance as well as the number of groups able to host)\n\nThe actual content of the private event is usually dictated by the group and organizer. Some do instructional classes, some do round table discussions, and others do parties. We've also delved a great deal into legal and zoning specifics to make certain of we can can allow, and what we cannot. Particularly (given the groups we work with) into laws regarding lude behavior. Those laws are broadly worded, so we wanted to ensure our rules reflected as much. \n\nIn zoning, we typically look for industrially zoned properties. This is because if (in our worst case) someone decides group X or Y is 'deviant', they might push to classify their behavior as lude, and slap us with an 'adult entertainment' label to shut us down. Industrial properties help ensure that in such a case, we can continue to operate with the new label, while we push back or restructure as needed. (Rather than being forced to close) Our normal zoning is as a private club or lodge. (Which is usually permissive in most commercial districts) Industrial property we can use is pretty rare though, so usually we are in commercial districts of one kind or another.\n\nYou are correct though, we usually filter through a lot of options to find somewhere that could accommodate an evening crowd without disturbing the surrounding area. (Industrial districts help with that)", "replies": [{"id": "dtnqs9b", "text": "I am a tenant representative in NY. Our industrial zoning doesnt allow assembly.  That being said, every area is different, so yours probably does. \n\nJust being straightforward, a landlord would be opening themselves up to tremendous liability leasing a space for private rental to \"groups\" without some limits on what those groups would be doing. Insurance requirements, local ordinance, etc. You would be better off narrowing your use down to specific types of events.  Landlords and lenders dont like \"the unknown.\"  You might rent to someone who has a goat slaughtering party. Then when you leave in 5 years, nobody wants to rent the building where they used to slaughter goats. \n\nDoes that make sense?", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "dtnc5xo", "text": "I would get a commercial broker in your local area than can help facilitate and finalize a lease execution. Particularly ones that do tenant representation, as they'll have a better understanding of what tenants are looking for. ", "replies": [{"id": "dtnm7p6", "text": "When I contact the listing agent for the property, they usually make a few other suggestions. (Most agencies only have 3 or so properties max that meet our criteria) Are there third party agents that work across different company listings?", "replies": [{"id": "dtnnqos", "text": "Depending on your location, there should be companies such as CBRE, Cushman &amp; Wakefield, and Lee &amp; Associates in your area. These are particularly commercial brokerage's that should not be confused with companies such as Century 21 and Remax who mostly specialize in residential brokerage. Call one of those companies office and ask for a agent who does tenant representation. ", "replies": [], "depth": 3}, {"id": "du0ol39", "text": "If you want to PM me I can give you some recommendations for an agent.", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}]