At some point in coming days I’m expecting to chat with Alamo Drafthouse higher-ups about the Austin icon’s entry into North Texas, which, if all goes according to plan, will begin with the initial offering at the Richardson Heights Shopping Center at N. Central Expressway and Belt Line Road. And, speaking of: The Alamo Drafthouse is on the Richardson City Council’s to-do list tonight, as the council will be asked to sign off on the screenery-eatery-drinkery’s request to create a PD that “would establish specific standards necessary to accommodate the proposed movie theater.”
The docs are all here, beginning on Page 16, where you’ll find, among other things, the latest rendering seen above. Some tweaks have been made since it went before the City Plan Commission, because, per the council docs:
At its May 1, 2012 public hearing the City Plan Commission expressed concerns related to the proposed building elevations and the pylon sign. The building elevations were found to be incompatible with the shopping center and surrounding neighborhood. The applicant was urged to revise the building elevations. Issues related to the pylon sign included its size, height, and location.
Those issues appear to have been remedied, and the CPC did vote 7-0 in favor of the multiplex, which is expected to spread 744 seats throughout seven theaters. And, as an added bonus: “The proposed architectural elements also serve as a symbol of the City of Richardson’s history as a radio innovator.”
This morning we received a note from the Richardson Heights Neighborhood Association “enthusiastically” supporting its new neighbor. That lengthy heads-up follows.
RICHARDSON HEIGHTS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION AND LOCAL FILM INDUSTRY FIGURES ANNOUNCE SUPPORT FOR ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE LOCATION IN RICHARDSON HEIGHTSRichardson, TX – Monday, May 14, 2012 – The Richardson Heights Neighborhood Association (RHNA) enthusiastically supports the plans by Alamo Drafthouse and Iced Tea Lemon LLC to open Dallas/Ft Worth’s first Alamo Drafthouse location in the Richardson Heights Shopping Center in Richardson, TX. The RHNA will speak to the Richardson the zoning change that will be decided before the Richardson City Council at its regular meeting on the evening of May 14, 2012.
Also joining the RHNA in speaking to the Richardson City Council will be two Dallas area fixtures from the film industry. Director and producer Michael Cain is a co-founder of the Dallas Film Society, Dallas International Film Festival, and Principal for the Trinity Diversified Film Fund. Actress, producer, and filmmaker Farah White is a prolific Texas talent who has worked on over 35 films for cinema and television, which include numerous screenings at other Alamo Drafthouse locations.
The Richardson Heights Neighborhood Association as been in contact with SRS Real Estate Partners, the City of Richardson, and other property owners in the area to provide valuable assistance and support for any redevelopment improvements in the area. The RHNA looks forward to continuing to reach out to property owners, leasing agents, real estate professionals, and developers interested in improving the area.
Alamo’s proposed location is another step of improvement with other improvements being supported by or in some cases driven by local residents. Starting in 2009 Heights residents actively shaped the West Spring Valley Reinvestment Strategy to envision and retool the West Spring Valley corridor within Richardson’s Tax Increment Financing Zone #1. The Heights area will see a new recreation center and aquatics facility. South of Belt Line Road Heights residents and the City of Richardson are driving efforts for Richardson’s first retrofitted walkable park.
“We cannot think of a better partner than Alamo Drafthouse to kick start the ongoing revitalization of the surrounding area and especially of the Richardson Heights Shopping Center. Bill DiGaetano, SRS Partners, and Hartman REIT have graciously accepted the input from the surrounding neighborhood and made us feel like a partner in the vision of the project. You can see this in the enthusiastic support received from the surrounding community. We believe the synergy created will add value to Alamo’s location, the Hartman property, and the surrounding Richardson Heights residential real estate. Besides that it will be cool! Richardson Heights and the surrounding Heights neighborhoods are increasingly attracting young, professional, and creative residents.
This development furthers our goal of making the Heights name just as sought after and recognized as other great Dallas area place names like Lakewood, Oak Cliff, Lake Highlands, and Bishop Arts.” – Andrew Laska, President, Richardson Heights Neighborhood Association.
About the Alamo Drafthouse zoning change request:
The City Council public hearing concerning Alamo Drafthouse’s request for a zoning change to accommodate its proposed location at Richardson Heights Shopping Center will be at 7:30PM, Monday, May 14, 2012 at Richardson City Hall at 411 W. Arapaho Rd., Richardson, TX, 75080.About the Richardson Heights neighborhoods:
The Richardson Heights neighborhoods first broke ground in 1954 and were largely completed by the mid 1960s. The area stretches from south of Belt Line Rd and west of US-75 up to some places just north of Arapaho Road. The area consists of a broad variety of housing stock from pier and beam ranch houses to modern houses to estate lots.