By Danny Teigman
Less long ago it introduced them to the first color motion pictures. These days it's the latest Academy Award nominees.
Now the theater's owner, Regal Cinema, is planning an expansion - if an agreement can be reached between village and company officials. They have been involved in informal expansion talks for two years, according to Village Administrator John Giordano. Over the past several months, the discussions have progressed, and a decision is likely to be reached sometime this summer.
According to Giordano, Regal hopes to upgrade the six-screen movie house to between eight and 14 screens and increase the seating capacity from 1,695 to upward of 3,200. The expansion, which is expected to cost $25 million to $30 million, will overtake the property's present parking lot, and make way for a safer drop-off area on the building's east side, by the corner of Merrick Road and Hempstead Avenue. To accomplish this, Regal is asking the village to provide a total of 700 new parking spots.
Russ Nunley, Regal's vice president of marketing and communications, said he could not comment on any of the particulars of the project. He added however, that he was familiar with Lynbrook's lack of parking. "Any business moving into the downtown area would have to come up with a solution for parking," he said.
"We certainly appreciate the moviegoers who attend the Lynbrook facility," Nunley continued. "And we are entertaining any proposals on how to improve the theater or the moviegoing experience."
While village board trustees recognize the theater's importance, some argue that Regal assume at least partial responsiblity for the cost of providing new parking. "I think we have to have a negotiation with Regal," said Deputy Mayor Thomas Miccio. "They are asking the village to build additional parking to basically service their customers. There needs to be some kind of financial commitment to the village."
Miccio said that village officials have had discussions with Regal and the theater's former owner, United Artists, for 10 years. In that time, he said, finding common ground, especially on parking issues, has been difficult. Miccio suggested a three-way cost-sharing plan among Regal, the village and downtown businesses to avoid saddling the village with the estimated $3 million to $5 million cost of building a new parking facility. He added that as it stands, Lynbrook's risk of losing the theater is a "coin toss."
Trustee David Penso said he agreed with the need to share costs, and encouraged continued dialogue with Regal representatives and village board members, as well as more public meetings to keep residents informed. "[Regal] is not a philanthropic organization," Penso said. "They have come to Lynbrook based on demographics that indicate Lynbrook is a good location to be profitable."
Giordano added that there were also concerns that expansion would risk altering the theater's small-town feel by replacing it with a monstrosity. "These multiplexes tend to resemble the inside of an airport terminal," he added.
If an agreement cannot be reached, Giordano said, Regal would consider selling the property to another commercial entity - a possibility that has added an air of urgency to the spirit of compromise. "Lynbrook used to have two theaters, and the remaining one at Five Corners is a magnet for people to come in and patronize our restaurants and shops," Giordano said. "It would be unfortunate to think that the building could end up being used for something else which doesn't necessarily add to the atmosphere of downtown."
Mayor Eugene Scarpato said he was in favor of agreeing to Regal's terms - not only out of the need to protect a business that is vital to the community, but also in recognition that the village's parking shortage has already reached a critical level. "If the movie theater wasn't coming, we would need additional parking anyway," he said. "... A movie theater brings outside money. People from out of town will shop in our village... I think it's an economic engine for downtown."
Village Historian Art Mattson said it would be a shame if Lynbrook lost the theater, given the village's long-running motion picture heritage. The first movie house, the Lyceum Building, which stood across from the current high school, was built in 1892, but burned down in 1913. It was replaced by the Plaza, diagonally across Five Corners from present-day Shake-A-Paw. The Lynbrook Theater was built in 1923. In 1911, the D.W. Griffith film "The Stuff Heroes Are Made Of" was shot in Lynbrook, the first major movie filmed on Long Island.
"You would hope some balance could be struck between retaining a movie theater in Lynbrook, but not at the cost of some monstrosity," Mattson said.
Comments about this story? DTeigman@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 246.
