The Magic Lantern cinema project in North Battleford is still a go for the spring, but there have been some adjustments along the way.
The theatre project had been announced for downtown back in July, and the plan early on was for the new five-screen cinema to be located on the west portion of the lot between Railway Avenue and 101st Street, beside the liquor store.
But after some further tests done on the site, the footprint has since changed.
According to Tom Hutchinson, president of Magic Lantern Theatres, the cinema will now occupy the corner of 11th Avenue and 101st Street. The parking lot will now go on the west side next to Railway Avenue, instead of on the east side.
“The location has always been ‘King Street Crossing,’” said Hutchinson.
“It is still that. The parking lot has moved. End of story.”
The main reason the cinema has shifted its footprint is due to contamination issues on a portion of the land.
“There was a car dealership on that lot on 11th and Railway, and there is contamination there,” said Hutchinson. But he didn’t think it was a major issue.
“In older downtown parts of many communities, there are places where there have been drycleaners or car dealerships.”
The issue has been addressed with Magic Lantern shifting the cinema to the north end of the lot bordering 11th Avenue and 101st Street.
The new cinema footprint avoids the contaminated area of the lot, and tests have been done indicating the location is suitable. The revised footprint also means more room for parking, which addresses another concern that had been raised about potential parking issues.
“There was a concern with the way it was before that we wouldn’t have enough parking, or that the daytime parking would be cut back too much,” Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson believes the new parking location will be more attractive to the general population for that reason.
“I think it’s a much superior layout than what we had before, which is great.”
Before construction can get underway, the City has an application before the province seeking to subdivide the property. This approval is considered an important step so the land can be free and clear of encumbrances.
Once the application is approved, and the actual location for the theatre is defined by the province, the project will be turned over to the contractor to “do the geological tests holes to see what’s underneath it and what sort of footings they need and how to make the foundation and all that,” said Hutchinson. “We’ll get underway.”
He anticipates a spring start to construction, a timeline in line with what City administration had told city council at their Nov. 14 meeting. Council was also told at the time that the cinema build would be a 10-month project.
What the exact layout of the cinema will look like is still up in the air somewhat, Hutchinson acknowledged. In any event, Magic Lantern has committed to five screens.
In general, Hutchinson is satisfied with the way the project is unfolding. “Everything is progressing,” he said.
He adds there were some other “exciting potential developments” in conjunction with the theatre, but those details aren’t being released as of yet.
In speaking to the News-Optimist, Director of Planning and Development Jennifer Niesink has confirmed the location for the cinema has been nailed down, and they are now waiting for the ministerial approval.
“We’re committed to making this happen in the spring,” Niesink said.
