Downey : Panel Endorses Theater, Parking Structure Deal

In an attempt to breathe life into the downtown business district, the Downey Planning Commission unanimously approved a $9-million theater and parking structure to be built at the site of a former Los Angeles County Courthouse.

If the proposal is approved by the City Council, Krikorian Premiere Theatres Inc. would buy the $1.3-million property for $1 in exchange for building a four-story, free public parking structure with 355 spaces.

The developer would also build a theater with 10 to 12 screens and 2,500 seats.

George Krikorian, owner of eight theaters in Southern California, told the commissioners last week that his theater would provide about 60 jobs and would offer discounts to schoolchildren with good grades.

Although many residents at the meeting questioned the size of the project, the proposal has received support from school district officials, parents and the Chamber of Commerce.

“This would be a safe place for our children, so they don’t have to entertain themselves on the streets,” school district PTA President Susi Baxter said.

City officials hope that the entertainment complex will attract new businesses into the almost-deserted business district. Businesses in the area have suffered since a large regional mall was built in 1958.

Since 1990, the city’s annual sales-tax income decreased from $10 to $8 million, Finance Director Lowell Williams said.

The theater complex would provide about $40,000 in sales-tax revenue annually, Williams said.

However, some residents and city watchdogs are worried that a large theater would cause problems downtown.

“There would be increased crime,” said Carlos Ressia, a dentist with a downtown office. “Who’s going to pay for more police?”

The Downey City Council and Community Development Commission will discuss the project at a public hearing Oct. 27.