Can the Multiplex Save Downtown Hayward?

Cinema Place. This 12-screen multiplex theatre complex has been on the drawing boards for years, and we're now starting to see progress. The site, facing B Street at Foothill Boulevard, is the former Albertsons grocery store, and owned by the Hayward Redevelopment Agency. Groundbreaking ceremonies were held last month, and the old Albertsons store has been razed (or "deconstructed" in redevelopment agency parlance.)

The developer is Blake Hunt Ventures, a mixed use real estate firm based in Danville [http://www.blakehuntventures.com/cinemaplace.htm] More back stories on the Cinema Place project are available on the Blake Hunt web site, at: [http://www.blakehuntventures.com/news.htm].

The original plans for Cinema Place included the 12-screen multiplex theater with a major anchor tenant (Cost Plus). Things (The Economy) have changed, and Blake Hunt down-scoped the project to exclude Cost Plus, but retain the 12-screen theater and about 19,000 square feet in retail space. The retail space would range in size from 1,100 to 5,800 square feet. The largest retail space (5,800 sq.ft.) would be the upstairs tenant, most likely a (chain?) restaurant. Construction would likely start in mid-2006, with completion by Fall 2007.

The theme "Can the Multiplex Save Downtown Hayward?" is something I will be looking at in the months to come. The Multiplex as a centerpiece, anchor attraction to bring customers to downtown areas is something that appears to be working in other areas, like downtown San Mateo and the Jack London Square area in Oakland, so why not Hayward?

What kind of retail businesses will migrate to downtown Hayward to complement Cinema Place?

Can other retail businesses ride the coattails of Cinema Place?

Can the existing retail businesses hang on until Cinema Place opens?

Can retail rents stay in check over the next 18 months?