Mann to Build Theaters on Former GM Site in Van Nuys
Mann Theatres said Tuesday that it will build a 16-screen complex at the former General Motors plant site in Van Nuys, becoming the first tenant to publicly commit to an ambitious development plan for the long-idle parcel.
The theater will be the largest of three new complexes that Mann plans to open in the San Fernando Valley area by the end of 1997. The other two projects are an eight-screen complex in Agoura Hills and a four-screen theater in Glendale.
The 72,000-square-foot theater proposed for the corner of Van Nuys Boulevard and Arminta Street will seat about 4,000, making it the second-largest theater complex in the Valley.
Like the other theaters, it will have digital stereo sound and giant curved screens.
Mann representatives declined to estimate the construction cost of the three new Valley theater complexes, but the projects reflect strong optimism about the movie industry.
“It’s a very healthy industry right now,” said Rich Given, Mann’s executive director of marketing and publicity. “There is more product out right now, and the consumers need access to the product.”
Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, whose business team supported the development of the GM site, said he hopes that Mann’s announcement will encourage others to commit to the project.
“The site of the former General Motors plant will soon be an engine of economic growth in Van Nuys,” Riordan said.
Mann, one of the largest theater chains in Southern California, was selected for the GM project over several other firms, including the theater firm owned by former basketball star Magic Johnson.
Bob Selleck Jr., a partner in Selleck Properties, which has teamed up with Voit Companies to develop the GM site, declined to comment on the Mann announcement, except to say: “It was never difficult finding a theater for the project. The hard part was choosing which one.”
Selleck and Voit announced plans in February for a $100-million development on the 63-acre site, including 380,000 square feet of retail space, 520,000 square feet of light industrial space and a 24,000-square-foot police substation.
In August, Selleck officials said they had tentative commitments for a theater operator and shop owners willing to occupy more than half of the retail space. However, Selleck officials declined at the time to name any firms.
Last week, officials gave preliminary approval to a $4-million federal grant to pay for traffic improvements around the project.
The GM development was proposed amid concern from neighbors and police over a stubborn crime problem in the area, particularly around nearby Blythe Street.
But Mann representatives and other project backers say the theater company has a good reputation for providing security in its movie houses.
“For me, that was a key component for whoever goes in there,” said Councilman Richard Alarcon, a proponent of the GM project, which is in his district.
