Hey look, part 2
Written by Dan
Thanks to Whitty for bringing these articles to my attention. Is it a good thing? Is it a bad thing? According to the article, Andrew thinks it's a good thing... of course, he could've been misquoted or something. I e-mailed Andrew and Doug this morning to get their take on it, but I haven't heard back from them yet.
*** Note: I just went to check my inbox and noticed that the e-mail I had intended to send to Andrew and Doug is still sitting in my drafts folder. Damn it! ***
Hopefully I hear back from them soon. In the meantime, take a gander at the article and tell me what you think.
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Multiscreen movie theater, stores proposed for downtown complex
By Jenny Fillmer
Springfield News-Leader, September 8, 2004
City pledges to build a $5 million parking deck to accompany stores.
For the first time in decades, Springfield movie lovers can look forward to catching first-run flicks in a downtown theater.
Developer Scott Tillman and architect Tim Rosenbury unveiled plans Tuesday for a multiscreen first-run movie theater, built within a two-block retail, entertainment and parking complex just west of Park Central Square along College Street. The announcement came during the Springfield City Council's weekly luncheon meeting.
Tillman's $12 million proposal, dubbed College Station, is backed by the city's pledge to build a $5 million, three-story, 450-space parking deck directly above 43,000 square feet of first-floor retail space. Plans call for a second-story skywalk connecting the parking garage to the theater. Combined with plans for retail, restaurant and theater development, College Station could bring 160,000 square feet of new commercial space to downtown.
"You've got a city block downtown that's just a blank canvas," said Tillman, referring to the unkempt parking lots and abandoned roadways currently on the site. "I thought, if we're going to do something, let's do something spectacular and draw people down here."
Retail was not the city's original plan for redeveloping the land it owns between Campbell and Market avenues and McDaniel and Olive streets.
A 2002 downtown redevelopment study, commissioned by the city, called for at least 300 new living units. In April 2003, the council opened bids for a new housing development on the land, and three bids were accepted ... including one from Tillman.
"One proposal was for condos, one for lofts, and one was for more retail," said City Manager Tom Finnie. "... All three wanted the city to build a parking deck."
Finnie said the city carefully considered each proposal, and considered combining them all into a single project.
Now, more than a year after bids were accepted, two things have changed, Finnie said.
One is that the land in question has been appraised for retail.
"If it's appraised for housing, it's one value ... if it's appraised for retail, it's a higher value," said Finnie.
Funds for building the parking deck would be generated by the sale of the land in the development and by other revenue generated on the property, Finnie said.
"We were having a real hard time making the housing (option) come up with the revenue to build the parking deck," said Finnie. "We talked to all three developers about that problem then Scott (Tillman) came up with the idea of all retail."
Pending council approval, Tillman will purchase the block north of College Street for about $450,000 ... all of which will go toward funding the parking deck. Additional funds will be generated by special sales taxes applicable only in the development.
When the parking deck is complete, the city will also sell retail space on the first floor to Tillman.
The second mitigating factor was the recent boom in residential develop
ment downtown.
The Urban Districts Alliance, a downtown redevelopment organization, reports that 200 new residential units will be started on or completed this year ... a huge increase over the 60 living units completed during the previous two years.
Finnie said the housing boom was unforeseen when the city opened bidding on the project, and that new retail space is now downtown's greatest need.
"You never know for sure what the market is going to support," Finnie said. "I thought retail was still a couple of years off, but we've had some very successful stores that have opened this year, and more to come."
College Station will provide retail space as small as 1,500 square feet.
"Typically, most of the buildings downtown are larger," said Tillman. "The goal is ... to target smaller business owners that want to come downtown."
Finnie said College Station will also fill another void in the downtown market: movie screens.
"Clearly, one of the attractions to this plan is we are under-screened in Springfield," said Finnie, "Currently, there are no movie theaters on the north side or center city ... That is a real anchor for this development."
Tillman's contract with the city calls for a first-run movie theater with at least six screens, but Rosenbury's initial designs show 10 screens.
Tillman is not the only one interested in bringing movies downtown.
Andrew [last name omitted by Dan], a downtown property owner, is working with his wife, Ellen, and partner Doug [last name omitted by Dan] to develop their building at 425 W. Walnut St. into a theater for art and independent films.
He welcomed Tuesday's announcement.
"We would look forward to any sort of new development in that area," said [Andrew]. "That would only help the whole downtown."
The businesses would help, rather than compete, with each other.
"I would only see more foot traffic on that side of downtown," he said of the new complex. "It should help with whatever goes into our theater there."
Tillman said more than one theater company has expressed interest in his project.
"There seems to be common knowledge from theater owners that we're under-screened," he said.
Council members were especially receptive to the movie theater proposal.
"Those of us on the north side really miss our theaters," said Mayor Tom Carlson, who lives in Midtown. "We like to go see movies, too."
The council had a sneak preview of conceptual drawings and blueprints. Rosenbury said the architecture style reflects downtown's century-old brick storefronts, with a large inner courtyard lined by modern buildings.
"The perimeter of the development will relate to the character of downtown," said Rosenbury. "But in the center, we wanted to have a different character ... where it's all bright and new and shiny."
Plans for the three-story theater complex also call for a "destination" restaurant and retail space.
Rosenbury told the council the building could eventually include residential space.
"The building structure could be planned in such a way that it could be expanded upward," he said.
Rosenbury's blueprints show a 10-story residential tower on the development's north side, built on top of the theater. The conceptual drawings do not include the tower.
"The idea is to leave the options open," said Rosenbury. "This isn't being contemplated for the very beginning of the project."
The other two developers who had submitted residential development plans last year said they understood the city's change in heart.
"We wanted to do some townhouses ... something architecturally unique down there," said Jeff Wells, whose former company, Pellham Phillips Hagerman, spent thousands putting together a bid. Wells said the company had not been interested in developing retail on the property.
Matthew Miller, who submitted a bid through Recess Properties, said it simply didn't work out. "When you've got a publ
ic-private partnership, you've got to be able to have it work for all sides," said Miller. "This piece of property wasn't working for all."
News-Leader reporter Sony Hocklander contributed to this story.