Posted: Monday, June 6, 2005 7:00 pm
Lincoln's long-standing theater policy may be as rare as an ivory-billed woodpecker. Local officials and theater industry officials say they have not heard of any other cities or towns with such a policy, but that doesn't mean they don't exist.
"I am not aware of any particular jurisdiction that has laws regarding the size of movie theaters," said consultant Keith Thompson, who has built more than 150 theaters in 32 states. "Every city in the United States has different types of laws to limit growth and development. Just because I am not aware of it, that doesn't mean that those communities do not exist and doesn't mean it's not a good idea."
Thompson, who lives in Knoxville, Tenn., was hired by the city earlier this year to do a market study on theaters in Lincoln. His job was to assess the feasibility of building an 18-screen movie theater near 84th Street and Nebraska 2.
Jeff Logan, president of the North Central States region for the National Association of Theater Owners based in Mitchell, S.D., echoed Thompson's comments. His region covers Minnesota, both Dakotas, Iowa and Nebraska.
Logan said such a theater policy could be problematic because cities and demographics do change.
"An ordinance of this kind makes sense at one time but as the population shifts and as economic things change, the city may want to re-address the issue at a later time," he said.
But Logan said he can see how a such a policy could benefit a community, especially if city officials and civic leaders have invested a lot of resources toward rebuilding a deteriorating downtown.
"Theaters are good for downtown areas because … they act as magnets for other stores and other retailers and restaurants to keep a downtown viable," Logan said.
Algis J. Laukaitis