Yeah no. Architect here. ADA compliance is taken incredibly seriously. Oh, and it’s also the law. And it’s also a decent amount of what you get tested on for licensure. Seating availability though is not ADA regulated.

As NCreature mentioned, the lack of benches probably resulted from a conversation like this:

Architect: “we’re proposing seating along the main concourse” Client: “is it required? Is it ADA?” Architect: “No. Legally it’s not required and it’s not an ADA requirement, but as a major public space—“ Client: “Yeah no. Homeless people could sleep on them and scare away shoppers and ruin our image. We need those benches gone.”