The cinema, estimated to cost $12 million, will seat more than 1,200 people and include a restaurant/bar accommodating more than 100, said Larry Dillin, president of VisCap Development, the management company for Austin Landing.
The 52,750 square foot cinema's restaurant will join several eateries surrounding The Park at Austin Landing, and a handful of others are in the planning stages, Dillin said. The theater will include outdoor restaurant seating, expanding entertainment options by joining Bar Louie and Bar 145 to provide side-by-side-by-side late-night, open air venues facing the park, he said.
“Now with the theater and the addition of the bars and a couple of more bars coming – and (The Flats at Austin Landing) – that kind of brings that missing piece,” he said. “We have people living here 24/7, and we extend the operating hours with the retail components.
“So instead of going to dinner and you roll up the streets at 9 o’clock, now we’ll have an entertainment district that will run a little longer into the evening,” Dillin added. “That will also help strengthen the public park activity.”
The cinema was initially targeted to open last fall, but delays snagged the project, Dillin said.
“They’ve been admittedly behind on their construction schedule – design and construction schedule. But it’s going very well now,” he said.
“But the contractor is a local contractor. He’s doing other work for us out here. So we have great confidence that they’re on track now to open in the summer,” Dillin added.
Also expected to be fully operating this summer is The Flats at Austin Landing. Some units of the $35 million luxury residential development opened in November, township officials said. Dozens of units have been leased so far, Dillin said.
The four-story complex occupies 4.33 acres next to Kroger and The Hilton Garden Inn. It offers studio, one- or two-bedroom units from 500 to 1,100 square feet, officials have said.
Units are priced between $855 and $1,825 a month, according to its website.
The building will feature a courtyard, swimming pool and deck, a parking garage, fitness center, business center and media lounge, among other amenities, according to the website.
The second hotel at Austin Landing, a $12 million Staybridge Suites, is set to open by the end of February, Dillin said.
The 108-room extended stay hotel is being built on 2.5 acres just northwest of Kohl’s and will be operated by S + S Management and Hospitality, which also oversees The Hilton Garden Inn.
Doug Steinke of S + S Management and Hospitality has said units will feature one- and two-bedroom suites, as well as studio units, and include a kitchen area.
The hotel will have an indoor pool, a cabana, a guest laundry, a business center, a fitness room, a fire pit and a courtyard, and it will accommodate pets, officials said.
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