Agenda - Planning Commission - 02/04/1997

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DECEMBER 1996 AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION Big Box Big Screen / 1 1997 By Fay Dolnick I e~[~¥: Megadevelopment is no long ~onfined to big box retail. It is encroaching on a wide range of human activities including animal husbandw 0ee "Hog-Tied by Feedlots," October) and religion (see "Zoning and Big Box Religion," November). Planners thought they understood how to regulate these land uses but now find that they must reexamine their impacts on communities. The latest big-box phenomenon is the multiplex (or megaplex) theaters that are sprouting rapidly across the countw. The trend began 33 years ago when Stanley H. Du~ard, the founder of~C Theaters, invented the multiscreen movie theater by splitting the screen ofa ~s~ Ciw theater in ~o. Over time, neighborhood and mill theaters expanded into four to six screens. Only in the last ~o years, however, h~ the fad for upwards of 18 screehs seized the entertainment industw. The finfl impacts of what is sometimes ~lled multiplex mania are still unclear and therefore di~cult for planners to address. Some cities seeing economic revitflintion have welcomed them as a sign of rebirth. Elsewhere, however, the prospect of having such a facility in the community has appalled many citizens. On occasion, grassroots organizations have organized to oppose them, often successfully. How Big is Big? How many screens constitute a multiplex theater? Eight? Ten? Twelve? According to Kay Crosswhite, director of corporate communications at AMC Theaters, the minimum in the United States is 16 screens. In Japan, it is 13. Crosswhite says all future development at AMC will be in the megaplex category, which she defines as having at least 24 screens. AMC built one of the first megaplexes in Dallas with 24 screens, but future projects will have at least 30. AMC is now building the largest movie theater in the world in the Ontario Mills shopping center in Orange County, California, just south of Los Angeles. It will have 30 screens and a seating capacity of 6,200. The area already has a number of multiscreen theaters, including the previous "largest movie complex in the world" in Irvine, boasting 21 screens and 6,440 seats. Cross-white says AMC believes the multiscreen theater provides an experience beyond the simple act of going to the movies. The developer wants the audience to experience "an entertainment event" with every amenity possible. The seating The AMC Grand 24 in Dallas, Texas, is an example of the megaplex theaters that are sprouting rapidly across the country. _5"l