Downey : Consultant to Study Traffic Effect of Theater Complex

The Downey City Council decided Tuesday to spend $19,000 to determine whether a proposed 2,500-seat movie theater complex would cause major traffic problems downtown.

Robert Bein, William Frost and Associates, an Irvine-based consulting firm, will conduct the study.

Two weeks ago, the council decided to enter negotiations with Krikorian Premiere Theatres to build an 11-screen, 2,500-seat movie theater complex. The 2.28-acre project also would feature restaurants and movie memorabilia shops.

City officials hope the proposed $7.4 million project, which would include a four-level parking structure for 359 vehicles, will help revitalize the downtown area.

The theater would be built on the site of the former Downey Municipal Courthouse on 3rd Street between New Street and La Reina Avenue. The Redevelopment Agency purchased the former courthouse last year.

In other action, the council approved a Nov. 3 ballot measure asking voters whether money from a 3% utility users tax should be spent exclusively on police and fire services.

If voters approve the ballot measure in November, tax funds will be placed in a separate account that can be used only for police and fire department expenditures.

Currently, the money is kept in the general fund and could be used to pay for other city expenses. The tax has raised $2.8 million since it was imposed in 1990.