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Camera theaters may come to the Pruneyard this summer
Negotiations are under way between owner and center
By Moryt Milo
Although the leasing terms are still being hammered out, the San Jose-based Camera Cinemas are planning to fill the empty threeplex space vacated by United Artists theaters in the Pruneyard Shopping Center in June 1999.
"We are really excited about coming over [to the Pruneyard]," Camera Cinemas co-owner Jim Zuur said before departing for the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.
"It's a great project and we are really anxious to deal in that market. I think we will be well accepted there."
The 20,000-square-foot space, which has been empty since the UA Theater closed its doors, will be renovated to feature first-run commercial and art form movies, said Dan Orloff, president of Orloff/Williams and Company advertising and public relations, speaking for Camera Cinemas.
Campbell Community Development Director Sharon Fierro said, "When I spoke to Jim [Zuur] he indicated that one side of the theater would be for art films and the other side reconfigured for commercial films."
Negiotations to bring the cinemas to the Pruneyard are not yet final, but if all goes according to schedule, the mini-chain cinemas plan to open their doors this summer.
Orloff said that along with a diversity of movies, Camera Cinemas is partnering with Willow Street Wood-Fired Pizza owner Ed Rathmann to build a cafe inside the newly renovated theater.
In addition to the standard popcorn, candy and soda, those patrons frequenting the cafe area will be able to choose from a menu of gourmet pizzas, sandwiches, pastas and salads.
Negotiations to bring a theater into the empty space began last September, according to a source close to the project who asked to remain anonymous.
Equity Office--owner and operator of the Pruneyard Shopping Center--with corporate offices in Chicago, would not confirm or deny that a lease was being negotiated. Public relations manager Page Steers said, "We have nothing finalized and until we do, it's corporate policy not to bring it out."
Local Equity Office General Manager Jill Collins said several parties have showed an interest in the property, but how the final tenant is selected is based on a multitude of factors, including how a potential tenant wants to design the space, their financial history, their operating history and the goals of the shopping center.
Previously, the only tenant to occupy the Pruneyard space was the UA Pruneyard Cinemas. The UA threeplex was one of the original Pruneyard tenants and considered an anchor in the center. It offered movies to the Campbell community for more than 30 years, before an aging theater and continuous losses forced it to shut down when its lease expired.
Since that time, the space, next to Hobee's restaurant, has been vacant.
Campbell redevelopment agency manager Kirk Heinrichs says, "Being able to maintain a theater in the Pruneyard is a positive step for the community."
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Campbell, California
