U. City may get cinema, food market

The proposed establishments would be built on 40th Street between Locust and Sansom streets. Movies and food, both staples of college life, may soon be in greater supply in University City. University officials expect to move forward with plans for a new movie theater in the near future. They are currently waiting for Cinemagic, the campus' only theater, to decide on whether it wants to operate a new multi-screen facility on 40th Street. According to University Managing Director of Real Estate Tom Lussenhop, both the cinema and a proposed supermarket would be built on 40th Street between Sansom and Locust streets. The Hamilton Village shopping center and a parking lot currently occupy the space. It is unclear which project would be built on which site. Plans for a movie theater are further along than those for a supermarket. Indeed, Lussenhop said bringing a grocery store to the area is contingent on the presence of a movie theater. Also, Lussenhop emphasized that "any development in the area requires a substantial parking facility." As with the theater and grocery store, the location and scope of the parking facility remain unclear. The University has given Cinemagic at Penn, an existing three-screen theater at 3925 Walnut Street, a list of its requirements for a new theater, Lussenhop said. Cinemagic's contract guarantees it the first opportunity to operate any new theater. Although Cinemagic's initial 30-day response period has expired, attorneys for the theater requested clarification of the proposal, Lussenhop said. Cinemagic President Andrew Sheppard did not return several telephone calls for comment yesterday. Lussenhop said that any plans to recruit another theater company are on hold "until there is a definite refusal on [Cinemagic's] part." He emphasized that other companies have expressed interest in plans for a theater on 40th Street. Last November, University officials said two companies specializing in art films, Angelika Film Center and Sundance Cinemas, were interested in building theaters. "The Philadelphia market is significantly underscreened," Lussenhop said. Officials are also exploring options for bringing a full-scale grocery store to the area. Currently, University City's only supermarket is Brown's University Thriftway at 43rd and Walnut streets, a store many students feel is unsafe and inconvenient. "[The plans] depend on operator interest," Lussenhop said, stressing that several companies have expressed enthusiasm. But at least one potential operator seemed dubious about the site. According to a spokesperson for Fresh Fields/Whole Foods, an Austin, Texas-based chain which operates more than 50 East Coast markets, the Philadelphia area is "pretty well covered." The spokesperson, Chris Hitt, said the company has not received a proposal for a grocery store from the University. Fresh Fields/Whole Foods currently operates a store at 20th and Callowhill streets. And the chain's plans to build a second store in Center City have dampened any interest in a potential University City site, Hitt said. A supermarket could also create problems for area retailers. While Lussenhop said he didn't believe a grocery store would damage existing stores, managers at Campus Market and Uni-Mart, two convenience stores located within a block of the proposed site, expressed concerns. "I think it [would] be a big problem," said Kay Kwon, a manager at Campus Market at 3925 Walnut Street, near Cinemagic. Both convenience stores are in University-owned buildings. But Lindsay Johnston, a local realtor and president of the 40th Street Business Association, said plans for a supermarket and movie theater are a great idea. "It's commercial real estate, and the rule of commercial real estate is 'highest and best use,' " he said.