Cinemark thinking bigger

Developers have filed plans with Yuba City to replace the Cinemark Movies 8 cinema with a new 12-screen theater.

The filing marks the start of several months of review required before a building permit could be issued for a long-awaited new movie theater to replace Yuba-Sutter's aging screens. Construction could take another nine months.

The development plan filed by Aztec Developers, of Yuba City, shows a 12-screen, 2,113-seat theater next to the existing Movies 8 cinema on Whyler Road - the same basic project proposed to the City Council last month.

“I think everything that Cinemark has been advertising, proposing, is reflected in the drawings,” said Community Development Director Aaron Busch.

Since it was filed last week, the development plan has been routed to city departments and outside agencies for their review.

Once review is completed, questions are answered and any issues resolved before a city review committee, the movie theater project would go to the Planning Commission.

That board would have to approve the project, looking at its site planning, parking lot, architecture and other features.

A commercial project typically takes about three to four to months from the filing date until it goes before the commission, said Busch.

If the commission approves the cinema, another four to five months is generally required for plan checks, though the developers are interested in getting the permitting started along with the planning commission meeting, which could speed things along.

“It takes some time,” said Busch. “We're doing our best to get it reviewed efficiently.”

Last month, Cinemark, of Plano, Texas, and Aztec Developers proposed building the new cinema next to the aging Movies 8 building on Whyler Road. The companies presented the idea to the City Council.

The council found the proposal was consistent with a 2003 city moratorium that banned new movie theaters outside of a downtown zone. The rule was designed to boost prospects for a downtown movie theater venue that the city was pursuing.

The city previously signed a development agreement with Roxy Yuba City Partners, of Santa Rosa, to build a movie theater downtown on Shasta Street.

But that project has failed to get off the ground despite the city's contribution of $2.2 million in land. Developers of that project said construction bids came in too high.