15 Plans Submitted for Site of Drive-In

After three years of standing deserted, the site of Culver City’s old Studio Drive-In may finally see some action.

The Culver City Redevelopment Agency has been soliciting proposals for the weedy nine acres where the last of the Westside drive-ins once reigned. Developers submitted 15 plans for the site Nov. 18, including proposals to use the property for a movie studio, housing and a golf driving range.

“This has citywide interest,” said Margaret Liu, the agency’s redevelopment project manager. “The residents who live in the immediate area are especially interested in knowing what happens.”

Two agency staff members will review the proposals, interview the developers and hold a community forum before a project is selected by the agency next spring.

After 45 years of open-air movies, Pacific Theaters shut down the Studio Drive-In in late 1993. Since then, the screen has stood alone in the empty lot, except for the occasional Christmas tree sale or film shoot.

Only 848 drive-ins are still operating in the U.S., according to the National Assn. of Theater Owners. When the Studio was flourishing in 1958, there were another 4,062 outdoor theaters nationwide.

The redevelopment agency, which purchased the property for more than $11 million in 1993, had hoped to develop a residential project. That plan fell through when the developer pulled out as the statewide recession took hold. The only work done on the lot was the construction of an access road to relieve traffic congestion at Sepulveda and Jefferson boulevards.

In 1995, it looked as if the drive-in would get a second run when the agency agreed to lease the lot for three years to a group that wanted to reopen the theater, but the agreement fell apart that June.

After getting several inquiries recently about the site, the agency decided to accept proposals for a range of uses. None of the recently submitted projects include reviving the outdoor theater.