"In its place, Appleton plans to build a nine-story apartment complex with ground-floor retail, according to preliminary permits reviewed by SF YIMBY. The planned 64-unit building would be West Portal's largest housing development in years. At 119 feet, it would tower above the one- and two-story buildings that line West Portal Avenue. If completed, 10 units would be affordable. The development is not using Mayor Daniel Lurie's Family Zoning Plan, the Chronicle reported."
"Reviving the theater proved unrealistic, as Appleton explained to the San Francisco Chronicle. (SFGATE and the Chronicle are both owned by Hearst but have separate newsrooms.) The theater's previous operator, Cinemark, left the building in poor condition when it closed in February 2021. There was a hole in the roof, and the theater's projection equipment, seats, screen and snack bar were missing. That, plus the competition from the theater in the nearby Stonestown mall, left no operators interested in running the theater."
Jesse Appleton filed preliminary permits to demolish the Empire Theater and construct a nine-story, 64-unit apartment building with ground-floor retail in West Portal. The proposed building would reach 119 feet, be the neighborhood's largest housing development in years, and include 10 affordable units. The project will not use Mayor Daniel Lurie's Family Zoning Plan. Appleton cited severe building damage, missing projection equipment and fixtures left by the previous operator, Cinemark, and competition from a nearby mall theater as reasons revival proved unrealistic. The Appleton family has owned the theater since 1925 and the ownership group purchased it for $2.5 million.
Read at SFGATE
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]