The former Showcase Cinema on Wayne Road in Westland will be demolished so that its nearly 50,000 obsolete square feet can be replaced with a modern 65,000-square-foot theater with 16 screens and room for 3,100 attendees.
The new
MJR Digital Cinemas theater will feature the latest in screen, sound and digital technology. Demolition, which includes the parking lot, starts next week. Construction starts in March and the theater is scheduled to open in November. It will be the only theater in Wayne County with 4-D digital projection (3D with motion seats).
"It's huge for the city," says Lori Fodale, economic development director for the
city of Westland. "It's right on the outskirts of our shopping and dining district."
With an estimated 800,000 visitors to the theater each year, "it's a huge shot in the arm for the restaurants and retail shops," she says.
About 10 permanent full-time jobs and 50 part-time jobs will be created by the project, a collaboration between the city of Westland, the
Michigan Economic Development Corp. and the Michigan Economic Growth Authority, or
MEGA and
Wayne County T.U.R.B.O., a part of the Wayne County Land Bank.
MEGA is providing nearly $188,000 to the theater developer to aid in demolition, environmental remediation, and other work.
In addition, Wayne County TURBO offered tax incentives to bring the theater in, including 100 percent coverage of the first year of taxes and 50 percent off taxes for years two through five of the theater's operation, Fodale says.
The project was deemed a brownfield redevelopment and is eligible for tax discounts. It can receive the MEGA payout and the tax discounts because of the jobs created and the stimulus it will provide to neighboring businesses as well as future positive impact on state, local and school taxes to be paid. It was also eligible because contamination on the property will be cleaned, in addition to other factors.
Source: Lori Fodale, economic development director, city of Westland
Writer: Kim North Shine
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