Mayor: Movie Theater Proposal 'Too Massive for Burr Ridge'

Mayor Gary Grasso said he is "losing interest" in a proposal from developers to bring a movie theater and bowling alley to . Rave Cinemas approached the mayor last month with an .

The theater was to be a free-standing structure that would be built in conjunction with an upscale bowling alley, proposed by Kings Lanes. The developers wanted to build the two venues between the TCF Bank building at 800 Burr Ridge Parkway and the Teamsters building at 1000 Burr Ridge Parkway.

Since initially approaching the mayor, Rave Cinemas has increased the number of screens it is proposing, along with the number of seats per screen, Grasso said.

"Originally they said it was going to be about 1,000 seats. Now it's closer to 2,000 seats," said Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso. "For me, that's too much. If they need 14 [public] screens to make it work, they should find another location."

Grasso .

Since news of the proposed movie theater and bowling alley was announced, residents have come forward to voice their concerns. . Of those, 59 percent were against the project, 39 percent were for the project and the rest were undecided.

"I've met with two different groups of residents that are not enthusiastic about [the project] either," said Grasso. "A Quarry Cinemas type of project ... is just too massive for Burr Ridge."

Grasso said he agrees with the result of an advisory referendum that was held in 1997, in which residents voted against building any theater in the village with more than 10 screens.

Village Administrator Steve Stricker said the referendum came immediately after a 30-screen megaplex proposal by AMC Theatres was rejected by the village in 1996.

At the time a group of residents called the Citizens Against the Mega-Plex (CAMP) raised more than $100,000 to defeat the project.

"We hired consultants, special use and traffic experts, presented crime studies from other similar movie and entertainment complexes and the negative impact on their local communities," Tom O'Toole a Burr Ridge resident and member of CAMP told Patch.

Village Administrator Steve Stricker said the advisory referendum is not a village ordinance, but is something the village board is going to take into consideration.

"The advisory referendum is a suggestion. It's not binding, but it's a good benchmark to pay attention to," said Stricker.

Stricker said the 10-screen limit contains ambiguity.

"Ten screens with 2,000 seats are going to be much different than 10 screens with 1,000 seats—one is going to have a much bigger impact than the other," said Stricker. "It doesn't tell the whole picture and the impact on a municipality is more complicated."

Grasso said Rave Cinemas plans to come back to the village in two weeks with a revised proposal, but for now, the mayor said the project is "dead on the vine."

Grasso said he is pleased, however, that the village is being sought out for proposals like this one.

"The good news is, we're getting asked out," said Grasso. "[Burr Ridge] will always be open for development and ideas."

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