Coming soon to a development near you... Towson's newest movie theater.
Cinemark will operate a 16-screen movie theater at Towson Circle III, developers and county officials announced Friday.
County Executive Kevin Kamenetz broke out the popcorn, soda and candy for the announcement at the historic courthouse in Towson.
"Big screen movies are coming back to downtown Towson in a big way, and we are really thrilled to welcome Cinemark to Towson," Kamenetz said. "It's really a great coup for Cinemark to come to Towson and offer that quality product to the entire region."
Developers expressed particular pride in signing Cinemark, one of the world's largest theater chains, with 431 theaters in the U.S. and Latin America. Towson Circle III will be Cinemark's second location in Maryland. In 2009, Cinemark bought the 28-screen theater at Arundel Mills Mall.
"We're very very fortunate to get the best of the best," said Blake Cordish, vice president of the Baltimore-based Cordish Companies, which is developing Towson Circle III with Towson-based Heritage Properties.
The new theater will include 16 wall-to-wall screens and 3,200 stadium-style seats, along with a high-end "XD Extreme Digital Auditorium." Cinemark Marketing Director Bryan Jeffries said the number of screens will allow the theater to screen blockbusters alongside independent films, Ultimate Fighting Championship fights, opera performances and other fare.
The $85 million Towson Circle III development is slated to be built on a 4.2-acre plot bounded by East Joppa Road, Virginia Avenue, Delaware Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue. The site is currently home to a small vacant office building and a former Burger King.
The project's funding includes a $6.2 million county grant to the revenue authority to build the parking garage and $2 million from the Maryland Department of Transportation for infrastructure improvements.
Besides the theater, it will also include 45,000 square feet of retail space divided among five restaurants and an 862-space parking garage, which will be operated by the Baltimore County Revenue Authority. A groundbreaking is planned sometime in the first quarter of this year. The garage is expected to open in 2013, and the theater and restaurants should open in fall 2014.
"It's got a very aggressive plan in place for the revitalization and we like being a part of a project that's already on its way, already headed into being something very special," said Jeffries. "For us to just hop in on that was a no-brainer."
The Towson Circle III complex is expected to create 1,530 jobs, according to the county. That includes 660 temporary construction jobs and 870 permanent jobs, generating an annual $16.4 million annual payroll. The county expects the facility to generate $1.75 million in county taxes and $2.9 million in state sales taxes annually.
Developers will soon unveil restaurants slated to join Cinemark, said Mike Batza, Heritage chairman and CEO. Plans include bistro-style dining and high-end restaurants.
Towson Circle III is one of several big projects on the horizon in Towson. Luxury townhomes at Towson Green will start opening late this year. The refurbished Towson City Center (formerly the Investment Building) will open this summer and house offices for Mile One Automotive and , new studios for and a farm-to-table restaurant.
Towson has been without a movie theater since 2010, when the owners of Towson Commons , which since 1992 had operated an eight-screen theater, one that was not without its own share of problems, including rowdy late-night crowds.
Nancy Hafford, executive director of the Towson Chamber of Commerce, called the Cinemark announcement a "jet engine" for downtown development.
"This is just out of the park for all of us," Hafford said. "It doesn't even compare to anything that's happened in the past."
County Councilman David Marks said residents are generally very excited about the project, though some neighborhood concerns remain about traffic and security. Developers will address those at a in East Towson.
"I think it further adds to the mix of entertainment and restaurants we want in downtown Towson," Marks said. "I think today's announcement has been a long time coming."
Here are the figures on that little ditty. A PUD allocated $20 million of taxpayer monies to purchase the property. The justification was it would reduce crime. False premise. Crime is not reduced in a case such as this but simply dispersed to surrounding areas. In addition to county funds, if my memory serves me correctly, the state kicked in another $2 million to tear down the apartments for the developer. Nice perk there. Now, lets look at the return to the taxpayers. The developer paid $1.6 million for the property. According to the provisions of the PUD his return to the community was to repair the Dundalk Gazebo, that's it. A total of 66 homes are to be built and the last time I checked there were about 35 done meaning the project, already approaching three years is far from being finished. Now we are looking at the development of Fort Howard which will be a $500 million deal. This project will also require a PUD. Can't wait to see that one. By the way, the developers on that project failed to respond to community concerns over infrastructure issues. Not a peep from them. I would suggest to those who seem to belittle people, do your homework before speaking on the subject at hand. That way you don't look so foolish commenting on an issue without the facts.
wondering if this can succeed, after all 'peddlers village' was the beginning of this site and it is gone & forgotten. Remember also this is a college town now and folks don't usually like that.
At night when I ride by there I seldom see lights on in those units. Many of them look vacant. What is the story on that development?
Thank you David Marks for trying to do what you think is best for the community... and I appreciate the rest of you who are civil enough to accept that not everyone is in lockstep agreement with these "venomous" cheerleaders and are willing to talk about things. +1 to Buss Beeler's followup about the "condos" - how is that all working out, I don't seem to see much foot/car traffic or lights either.
I did make some followup calls on that project from someone who would know. They were quite knowledgeable and revealed what they felt were some associated problems. The developers did not work closely with the community which would have provided additional options in the event the high end aspect did not meet expectations. Apparently both you and I observed the same things, because this source also made reference to the occupancy rate, which I think is low for a project of that magnitude. I learned a couple of great lesson from my years on the department. Make sure all of your ducks are in a row before taking the witness stand and if you can't speak intelligently, don't say anything. If these people want to defend the administration, do so on the facts, not emotional rhetoric. That way we can all benefit from the discourse.
The students are not going away. The urbanization of Towson is not going away. It would be completely ridiculous for the planners of Towson to not recognize this. Why not try FOR ONCE to get ahead of the curve? You speak of PAID PARKING??? Talk about your tripping over dollars to pick up pennies. It's irrelevant. How often are you in the center of Towson? I'm there just about every day. The inprovements are palpable.
I say this, not only to you, but others as well - over and over and over again. Please use due diligence in researching prior comments and information. Here is your quote: "Buzz, with all due respect, this is about Towson. Fort Howard and Dundalk are not in Towson." Bart what county do you live in? Who is the county executive? Does each of the seven councilmanic districts operate independently from each other? I live in Baltimore County. I PAY COUNTY TAXES! I grew up in Towson and worked there until the 70's. My mother still lives in TOWSON! Ya think I might have an vested interest in not only Towson but anywhere else in Baltimore County where my tax dollars are being spent? Yes that is correct, they are some of my dollars along with every other soul in this county who is paying for some of those issue you allude to. I use Dundalk as the factual issue BECAUSE THIS SYSTEMATIC of the process, not only in Towson, but other parts of the county as well. If your concept regarding filling vacant units or businesses will work based on this development, what is it not working at those condos at Dulaney and Fairmount. What the heck is across the street? A whole giant shopping mall. You said lets get ahead of the curve. Have you ever read the budget, even once?
The folly that groundbreaking is "progress" is a tired and true deception. The developers make their money up front from the construction financing. That's why they are the biggest political donors to local pols. All that empty storefront on York still demands county services. Police and fire protection, roads, water, sewer. Only you get to foot the bill now. Then there is the lost opportunity cost that comes from open space developed. So Towson Circle III. Anchored around a theatre. Plasma and LCD technology will have advance so far in 20 years even the movie industry is repositioning to get out of schedule box market and into home demand. Maybe your parents should have let get out more and see how the world works. Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat its mistakes.
http://www.forgeflyer.com/2012/01/yup-theres-grave-in-middle-of-site-of.html I wonder if they will move it or work around.
I keep going back to York Way because it is a microcosmic of this systemic problem. The premise for that whole development was flawed. Another case in point is the Thistle Landing PUD. The county's own studies suggested this development was not good fit for the community and it was voted down by the council. End of story, not quite. A couple of well connected phone calls, and a councilman's statement that he was advised by the county attorney that the council acted too hastily in voting that project down and guess what? It's now a done deal. I would love to see the memo from the county attorney on that one. I have spent years with other professionals looking into these issues and I will tell you it is disturbing.
Good job!
As a cop and writer, it has always been drilled into my head to deal in facts. The old saying talk is cheap relates to my point. One of the biggest realizations of that is this little ditty, that embarrassed the leader of the free world. He forgot to look at the facts and the photo-op was more important than the reality. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFdx8xvp5SE
My biggest concern about this project is security. Is it going to turn into another TowsonTowne Mall? When it first opened it was a great place. Now, at night, I no longer feel safe. If they can't keep a mall safe how are they going to keep this area safe?
This was the real reason for the failure of Towson Commons, but no one will admit it.