Westside Reader March 2016

March 2016 THE Reader • 3
Laemmle theater project could open to public in 2018
By Robb Fulcher
Staff Writer
Athree-part Old Town Newhall revitalization
project — consisting of a
Laemmle art-house theater, a six-level
parking structure, and mixed-use buildings
with retail and housing — could open to the
public in 2018.
The projects have won formal approval by
the Santa Clarita City Council, clearing the
way for design work, followed by permits
and permissions, followed by construction.
City officials said those processes could be
complete in about two years.
The projects will be built on a large vacant
block across the street from the Old Town
Newhall Library, bounded by Railroad Avenue,
Lyons Avenue, Main Street and Ninth
Street.
City Manager Ken Striplin said the combination
of projects will “create a lot of energy
for the revitalization of the area.”
He cited projects stretching back two
decades in Old Town Newhall, including a
Metrolink station to bring people to the area,
a streetscape project, the $25 million library,
and aid for businesses to replace their facades.
“It’s really starting to all come together,”
Striplin said.
“I believe the project will be an injection of
new life into Old Town Newhall, and it will
help the entire area from an economic development
standpoint,” Councilman Dante
Acosta said. “It will go from a vacant lot to a
vibrant, exciting development. It will be a
shot in the in arm for the area.”
The movie theater, which will show a mix
of Hollywood blockbusters and smaller films,
will feature seven screens and include some
retail space. Under an agreement with the
city, Laemmle must operate the theater for at
least 15 years.
The two mixed-use buildings will consist
of ground-floor retail with 46 housing units
upstairs, and 85 underground parking
spaces.
The parking garage will be 55 feet tall, and
park at least 400 vehicles on six levels, including
one underground.
The Santa Clarita City Council formally approved
the projects on a 3-1 vote, with Councilman
TimBen Boydston dissenting.
Councilwoman Laurene Weste, who owns
property near the project site, did not participate,
citing a conflict of interest.
Lyons Avenue elevation
Main Street elevation
Raising objections
In the discussion that preceded the council
vote, Boydston made a last-ditch pitch for
a stripped-down alternative with no
Laemmle theater, and a municipal parking lot
instead of a six-story parking structure.
Boydston said he welcomes the addition of
a Laemmle to Old Town Newhall, but not at
the cost of a $3.4 million subsidy the city will
give the theater.
City officials earlier said that Glendale
spent $5.1 million and North Hollywood $3.3
million to land Laemmle theaters.
Boydston unsuccessfully pushed for a surcharge
on theater tickets that would help pay
back taxpayers for the theater subsidy. He
also balked at the $15.2 million price tag for
the parking structure, unsuccessfully arguing
for a 150-space parking lot instead.
See Laemmle, page 5
Santa Clarita PubliC library
By Patti Rasmussen
Staff Writer
The Santa Clarita Public Library is encouraging
all residents to pick up a
book and get reading: “One Story One
City” is the second annual project by the libraries
to engage people of all ages to read a
selected book, hold discussions and meet the
author.
This year’s selection is “Mary Coin,” a novel
by Marisa Silver that follows the lives of two
women — a migrant mother who flees the
Dust Bowl during the Depression and heads
to California with her family, and the other
who captures her image in a photograph. The
fictional book is based on the famous Works
Progress Administration photograph by
Dorothea Lange entitled “Migrant Mother.”
The idea behind the “One Story One City”
program came from a 1998 NPR campaign
entitled, “If All Seattle Read the Same Book.”
Karen Cruze, community outreach coordinator
for Santa Clarita Libraries, said the
book selection process involves all staff members
who nominate titles. Books are then nar-
rowed to five that meet certain criteria such
as availability in different formats and appealing
to a variety of people. Those books
are then read and each reader gives a book
report of sorts.
Cruze was thrilled when “Mary Coin” rose
to the top.
“I like historical fiction,” she said. “This
book talked about different types of people
and their problems. I love that it’s about California.
It’s perfect for our community.”
Cruze said the book lends itself to a lot of
discussion on many subjects. For example,
both the migrant mother and the photographer
have child care problems. A contemporary
character in the story has similar
parallels and all three lives come together at
the end of the book. There are several twists
and turns in the story and a very familiar
community plays a minor role.
One Story One City also has age-appropriate
and themed-related books for the
younger readers. “Esperanza Rising” and
See One Story One City, page 16