Many developers have eye on Penn's Landing

Due to a large amount of open space, the area could soon house more movie theaters than Center City. There can be such a thing as too much revitalization for Philadelphia. If all of the pending economic development projects for Penn's Landing go through as planned, the city will have more movie theaters than it needs, officials say. And most of those screens will be east of Center City, a move that could essentially shift the center of entertainment further eastward. Three development companies have their eyes on the site along the Delaware River as a suitable location for projects that could result in more than 60 screens on the waterfront. The companies are attracted to Penn's Landing because of its available space. Center City, by contrast, does not have many large open areas to build multi-screen cinemas. The riverfront already has one large theater complex, the United Artists Riverview, which has eight screens. Still, Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell is not worried that the projects may detract from Center City, according to his spokesperson, Kevin Feeley. Rendell endorses the project, hoping it will help attract more overnight visitors to Philadelphia and aid the city in its lack of long-term tourism, Feeley said. "Movies are not exclusively the domain of the riverfront," Feeley said. "The idea is to bring people to town." In an attempt to rectify the potential division between Center City and Penn's Landing, the mayor is implementing a plan to incorporate the new project with the rest of Center City by organizing themes in both locations and designing walkways between the two areas. The major project planned for Penn's Landing is a $200 million Family Entertainment Center to be developed by the Indianapolis-based Simon DeBartolo Group. The center will likely include a 24-screen movie theater as well as several themed restaurants and retail outlets. There is no current timetable for the construction of the complex, but officials expect plans to be finalized in June. Feeley said the mayor wants the center to include an entertainment and cultural venue called the American Experience, set to be built around a historical theme. Other possible tenants involved in the 510,000-square foot project include NikeTown, a Virgin Megastore and FAO Schwartz. Jim Cuorato, vice president of Penn's Landing Corp., said Penn's Landing officials hope to negotiate with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority to implement a shuttle system to and from the complex once it materializes. Part of the funding for the project -- expected to create more than 1,000 new permanent jobs -- may be supplied by the city itself, as City Council's is expected to vote soon on a proposal to allocate $50 million towards the project. And these are not the only plans for waterfront revitalization. The New York-based Waterfront Renaissance Associates reportedly wants to build a smaller entertainment center with a 14-screen cinema just a small distance north of Penn's Landing on Delaware Avenue. Additionally, riverfront planner Bart Blatstein is developing retail space and an 11-screen movie theater and restaurant complex along Delaware Avenue south of Washington Street, roughly a mile south of the construction at Penn's Landing. Although Cuorato said he doesn't think "all those 60-plus [screens] will be built," most of the plans for the projects have been finalized, making it likely that many of them will ultimately be constructed.

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