Warren Theater coming to Broken Arrow

[Boksooner]

BROKEN  ARROW — An upscale movie theater has signed on to anchor a  "destination" shopping center in south Broken Arrow, officials said.


Wichita, Kan.-based Warren Theatres is the first tenant of the Shops at  Aspen Creek, a 100-acre, $60 million development planned on Tucson  (121st) Street just east of the Creek Turnpike’s Aspen (145th East)  Avenue interchange, Houston developer Danny Signorelli said.

The company, which has a location in Moore and three in Wichita, bills  itself as a luxury alternative and equips its theaters with a  restaurant, bar and full-service balconies.

“I would have to call it the Cadillac of theaters,” Signorelli said. “It’s truly a regional draw.”

The Broken Arrow theater will have 14 screens and 90,000 square feet.

Another 200,000 square feet of retail space and restaurants will make  the shopping center a regional entertainment, dining and shopping hub,  city attorney Beth Anne Wilkening said.

The other tenants will consist of “everything from ... boutique retailers to anchor retailers,” Signorelli said.

They are expected to be announced soon, and construction should begin around April, he said.

The city is offering $7.25 million in incentives to Signorelli Co.,  including a $3.25 million sales-tax rebate and costs for utility  construction, stormwater retention and right-of-way purchases.

The incentives, which would be paid with bond issues from 2008 and 2011,  would only apply if Warren Theatres remains open for a period of time,  Wilkening said.

“This appears to be a very, very good deal that’s going to do a lot of things for Broken Arrow,” she said.

City leaders touted the development as the most significant for Broken Arrow since Bass Pro Shops opened in 2005.

Warren Theatres alone will generate an estimated $750,000 in annual  sales-tax revenue for the city, likely pulling visitors from south  Tulsa, Bixby and even surrounding counties, officials said.

“Bass Pro was a really big deal when we did that, and I think this is just as big a deal,” Mayor Craig Thurmond said.

City Councilor Jill Norman, who said she lives “across the street” from  the development, complained that the area has been extremely  underserved.

Most people in southern Broken Arrow find it easier to take the Creek  Turnpike to Tulsa’s 71st Street shopping centers than to drive to Broken  Arrow’s major shopping areas along Albany (61st) Street, she said.

The Shops at Aspen Creek has been in the works for years, officials said.

One of the major holdups was a lack of easy transportation to the area.  The Aspen Interchange on the Creek Turnpike, completed this year,  changed that, officials said.

“Retail like this was the reason the Creek Turnpike was built,” Councilor Johnnie Parks said.

Warren Theatres LLC also owns Palace Movies, which has locations in Wichita and Springfield, Mo.; and Movie Machine in Wichita.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=318&articleid=20121017_318_0_BOEROn226121

[RecycleMichael]

TulsaNow had this one first.

[Teatownclown]

Destination? Out that far the demographics fall off into the river.

This is a long term development.

Meanwhile, was it Cinemark that just declared bankruptcy? Maybe it was Carmike.

What does it matter who had it first. This was discussed here several times...

[DowntownDan]

I like the idea of being able to drink at the theater, but I don't like the idea of having to drive back from Broken Arrow.  Moderation sucks! (jk)

[TheTed]

Drinking beer in a theater is awesome. Drinking the kind of beer popular at many local establishments, not so much. Hopefully it's not just bud/miller/coors.

[Townsend]

Drinking beer in a theater is awesome. Drinking the kind of beer popular at many local establishments, not so much. Hopefully it's not just bud/miller/coors.

With our ABLE rules?  I'm guessing we won't be in luck.

[OSU]

Last time I was at the Warren in Moore they had Boulevard Wheat on tap....not bad.

[Hoss]

Last time I was at the Warren in Moore they had Boulevard Wheat on tap....not bad.

If they get Marshall's I may become a regular moviegoer again.

[Conan71]

I think they borrowed the concept from Pulp Fiction.

[swake]

This is what we have come to. Millions of dollars in city incentives to build a movie theater in an empty suburban field.

[SouthTulsaCountyDude]

Whats happening with this development?    Bill Warren had said to start construction within 6 months of the announcement.   Announcement made in October 2012.... 6 months puts it at April 2013. 

[sgrizzle]

This seems like an attempt to build a standard multiplex, with a bone thrown towards the people who like Alamo Drafthouse, like myself.

I'll wait for an Alamo.

[heironymouspasparagus]

I have been to the Warren in Moore a (very) few times.  Exceptional facility.  Worth $15 for the full experience?  Not a chance.  Two dollar movie down the road works just as well, even if I do have to wait 4 weeks.  But I do avoid the crowds!

[gowens]

I saw the theatre was out to bid this week.  They will probably start end of summer.  The bid was for 150,000 sf movie theatre with over 3,500 seats.  Bill Warren said to the Wichita Business Journal in April that the BA location will be "Moore on steroids".  He said he could not put an IMAX at the Broken Arrow location because of a competing one nearby (Cinemark), but he said, "That won't make any difference".  He is putting $45 million into the theatre.  I would anticipate it opening in 2014. 

[heironymouspasparagus]

I wonder if the repair process in Moore will slow this down any?  Place is still usable, but kind of rough around the edges.