Fullerton : City Officials to Weigh Revised Plan for Plaza

A revised plan for a Fullerton downtown plaza, with a giant-screen theatre and a specialty retail center, is scheduled to go before city officials tonight, and public comment is invited.

Following the public hearing, the city’s Redevelopment Agency will decide whether to move ahead with a scaled-down version of the proposed Fullerton Museum Plaza, whose major component is the IMAX theater--a special-effects theater.

The version officials will review tonight carries an $8-million price tag, instead of the original $12 million, said Ronald E. Hagan, community services director.

The latest plan calls for 5,000 square feet less of retail space--down from 36,000 to 31,000 square feet. The IMAX theatre remains a main attraction of the plaza.

In a city-commissioned report, consultants estimated that first year attendance would range from 320,000 to 350,000 persons for the 325-seat theatre alone. Theater attendance is then projected to decline slightly but remain stable at 285,000 to 320,000 visitors per year by 1993 and after, according to Economic Research Associates.

Overall, attendance at the plaza is projected at 6.4 million in 1988, its scheduled opening year.

Construction of the Fullerton Museum Plaza is proposed for the area bordered by Harbor Boulevard and Wilshire, Pomona and Chapman avenues. Plans call for the development of a specialty retail center and expansion of the existing museum along with the new IMAX center. Currently, the area contains general commercial and retail stores, several churches and a museum.