CAMARILLO : Panel Delays Action on Theater Complex

The Camarillo Planning Commission has delayed action on a proposal to build an 11-screen theater complex on the city’s south side, asking the developer to provide more parking for the project before bringing it back to the panel.

During their meeting Tuesday, commissioners told officials of Pardee Construction Co. that its proposed development of an 11-screen United Artists complex near the intersection of Verdugo Way and Camino Ruiz did not meet city parking space requirements.

City staff balked at the proposal because the proposed complex was about 52 spaces short of meeting the city code.

“We didn’t reject the idea. We just gave them the option of re-evaluating their proposal in terms of parking,” Commissioner Les Meredith said.

Company officials believe the use of a parking lot across the street from the proposed 2,780-seat movie house would satisfy the city code. But city officials said the lot would pose a pedestrian safety hazard and that its parking stalls could not be included in the project’s parking space count.

“It’s our preference not to reduce the number of (movie) screens on the project in order to meet the code requirements,” said Bob Teller, a Pardee spokesman.

The commission will take up the matter again at its Nov. 16 meeting at City Hall, 601 Carmen Drive.

The Pardee proposal is the second theater complex project to come before the Planning Commission. On Oct. 5, the panel approved a Mann Theater Corp. proposal to build a 12-screen cineplex on the 700 block of Daily Drive. The commission is scheduled next month to consider a third theater complex proposal by Edwards Theaters, to be located across the Ventura Freeway from the proposed Mann Theaters facility.