Council Rejects Effort to Block Theater Project
The City Council has rejected claims by four businesses facing the prospect of being razed to make way for a movie theater in Pasadena’s Playhouse district.
The claims, a precursor to a lawsuit, allege that the city is conspiring to oust the businesses from the properties they lease so a Laemmle movie theater can be built on the site, at the northeast corner of Colorado Boulevard and El Molino Avenue.
Nardi’s Tavern, the Beijing Chinese Restaurant, House of Fiction and Browser Books also accuse city officials of misusing $435,000 in public funds, earmarked to purchase an easement that would be used to build a private sidewalk.
The claims are the latest effort to block the theater project. Joel Sheldon, president of nearby Vroman’s Bookstore is heading the effort to bring the theater to the area. Sheldon is seeking to buy the land where the four businesses are located and resell it to the movie theater chain as part of an effort to revitalize the Playhouse district, city officials said.
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