Empire Theatres’ lease is set to expire, causing debate over what to do with the downtown space.
Empire Theatres is set to close its doors for good at the end of the year, leaving the future of the space up for debate. Some Centretown residents are now putting pressure on the city to ensure the space in the World Exchange Plaza is filled with another movie theatre.
The development agreement, which outlines how space in the World Exchange Plaza should be allocated, was made in 1988 between the property’s original owners and the City of Ottawa. One of the requirements was that the plaza include an “entertainment facility,” according to an Aug. 23 report submitted by Nancy Schepers, the deputy city manager of planning and infrastructure, to the finance and economic development committee.
The report asks the committee to approve the request by the current owner of the World Exchange Plaza, British Columbia Investment Management Corp., to change the requirement so the space occupied by Empire Theatres can be converted into an office area, if no cinema operators are interested in leasing the space.
The issue was presented to the financial and economic development committee on Sept. 3 and has been put on hold until the committee’s meeting on Nov. 5.
The committee was not satisfied with the information presented in the report at the first meeting, so it has gone back to the city manager’s office for further review, says Somerset Coun. Diane Holmes via email.
In an interview, Holmes says she is opposed to changing the agreement for the World Exchange Plaza and wants to see another movie theatre take over the space.
“If this (Empire Theatres) goes, there’s no (movie) theatre downtown,” she says.
Holmes has even written to Cineplex, which operates many Canadian movie theatres, asking them to take over the space.
Cineplex’s senior vice president of real estate and construction, Fabrizio Stanghieri, responded to Holmes by e-mail and said the company wasn’t interested in opening a theatre in the plaza.
“It is an older location that does not reflect the quality environment Cineplex strives to provide our guests,” Stanghieri said in the e-mail.
The Centretown Citizens Community Association supports Holmes and wants the space to be used for another movie theatre, says Robert Dekker, the association’s vice- president.
He says between 20,000 and 30,000 people live downtown, so it’s important to have recreational areas such as parks and movie theatres. If the agreement was removed, it would take away the “livability” of downtown, he says.
Mary Beth Wolicky, one of the Centretown residents who started a Facebook page to gather community support for a cinema, says nearby theatres such as the Mayfair and the Bytowne are excellent but only have one screen whereas Empire Theatres has multiple screens.
Empire Theatres is also different as it is a “first-run” theatre, says Dekker, meaning it plays newly released, mainstream films.
Empire Theatres is also integrated into the community as opposed to being outside the city, in the middle of a parking lot, like many other multiscreen theatres, adds Wolicky.
Empire Theatres’ location on Albert Street brings people downtown because it is centrally located within the community, is a place where people meet and it helps increase the number of customers who frequent the area’s businesses, Wolicky says.
However, the agreement does not specifically state the need for a movie theatre but rather an entertainment facility, so Holmes says the space could be rented out to local performing arts groups if no cinema operators are interested in leasing the space.
In an audio recording from the city’s website, of the finance and economic development committee meeting on Sept. 3, the World Exchange Plaza’s leasing manager, Daniel Gray, said the request to change the agreement is a precautionary measure.
“We’ll certainly consider a theatre use, we’re just being proactive in the event a theatre use doesn’t apply.”
Wolicky says a movie theatre is increasingly becoming important for downtown as new condominiums rise up in the area.
“You can’t have people living downtown with nothing to do,” she says. “Ottawa is a world-class and tourist city, we want to keep it that way.”