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Future attraction: Regal Cinemas 13

Theater will be closed for 18 months during construction

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Construction of Lynbrook’s long-awaited new movie theater will begin as soon as the project gets approval from the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency, and the work will keep the local cinema closed for more than a year, according to officials with the project’s contracting firm.

The IDA will review the project’s impact on businesses in the area and approve any county tax exemptions. A decision to proceed with the work is expected by the end of the month. If approved, it would begin within three months, starting with the demolition of the existing theater.

As reported in the Herald in April, the Lynbrook village board approved the demolition of the United Artists Lynbrook 6 theater on Merrick Road, owned and operated by Regal Cinemas, and its replacement with a state-of-the-art theater, at a cost of over $25 million. Mayor Bill Hendrick said that the new theater, which is expected to include 13 screens and 1,660 seats — seven more screens and nearly 70 more seats than the current theater — would be good news for residents and local businesses.

“Lynbrook is very lucky to get this movie theater,” Hendrick said. “I’m very happy with the plans … I think the new facility is going to be absolutely beautiful. … This is a giant leap forward in the right direction.”

According to Village Clerk John Giordano, the village’s engineering consultant and the county fire marshal are also reviewing the plans. The current structure, which opened nearly a century ago, will be torn down after the project receives IDA approval. A demolition permit is expected to be approved this fall, Giordano said.

Jerry Grewe, vice president of Regal Cinemas, said the renovation planning began over a decade ago — but didn’t include demolition of the building. “We initially planned to just renovate the current structure, but that didn’t turn out to be feasible,” he explained. “Instead, we’ll be building a new structure at the same site as the existing one.”

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