Rendering provided
By Betty Wells
The luxury theater complex and office space planned for Delray Beach should produce more than 400 jobs and bring more than 400,000 visitors a year to the downtown, according to the developer.
“We aim to create a unique and much-needed entertainment destination for downtown Delray that makes a positive contribution to the local economy,” said Hamid Hashemi, president and CEO of iPic Entertainment.
The Community Development Agency accepted unanimously a plan from iPic, over three other proposals.
The complex will include an eight-screen, 529-seat luxury movie theater; 42,869 square feet of Class A office space; 7,290 square feet of retail space; and a 279-space parking garage.
Diane Colonna, CRA executive director, said the CRA staff was excited about the choice, and that the project “has all of the elements people have been asking for.”
“It will bring a state-of-the-art entertainment experience that will benefit residents, visitors and local businesses alike … We’re also thrilled that iPic Entertainment plans to move their corporate headquarters here and add their creative talents to our downtown mix,” Colonna said.
The Fourth and Fifth avenues Site includes the Old Library Building on Southeast Fourth Avenue, the Chamber of Commerce office building on Southeast Fifth Avenue, and the adjacent public parking lot. iPic’s Delray Beach Holdings LLC offered $3.6 million for the 1.57-acre site, about a half-block south of Atlantic Avenue in the downtown core.
The CRA and iPic are beginning contract negotiations to finalize the deal. Once there is an agreement and the city approves the plans, iPic says, the construction should take about 20 months and the complex should open in 2015.
iPic theaters feature leather seats and gourmet dining. Top-price ticketholder get full-leg reclining seats, pillows and blankets and personal service-call buttons that summon servers to deliver dishes or cocktails to their seats.
Hashemi said the Mizner Park theater has been a success from the beginning.
“From the moment we opened the doors … the response and feedback from our guests has been very positive” he said. “It has been a rewarding experience to see our guests’ reaction and their loyalty to the concept.”
Boca Raton-based iPic-Gold Class Entertainment LLC operates premium movie theaters, restaurants and stylized bowling centers. iPic Entertainment operates nine theaters with 67 screens in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.
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