The project, which has been redesigned four times to meet the city's needs, will go before the City Council for final approval in June. It was originally proposed as a 59,000-sf building. Last year, the Planning Commission asked the developer, Century Theaters, to revise its plans. Century reduced the seating number from 2,755 to 2,549.

Commissioners spent several hours listening to public comments and criticism at their meeting last night. They voted 4-2 in favor of the project and the meeting ended late, after discussing various details of the project, including seating and parking.

While officials expressed concerns about the number of seats, the commissioners were satisfied with the changes made by the developer in reducing the size of the building and addressing parking and environmental concerns. The project's architect, San Diego-based Mark Fehlman, plans to reconfigure the 45,000-square-foot building and try to protect two 200-year-old oak trees on the property.

More than twenty residents spoke at the meeting, both in favor of the project and against it. Proponents of the theater said that the area really needs a decent movie theater and the project would be beneficial to the residents and the economy. Opponents agreed but expressed concerns that the size of this project is too big for Monterey.

Originally, the proposal included plans for a 16-screen theater. It has been reduced to 13 screens but some residents say that 10 screens would be ideal.

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Planning Commission OKs Monterey Theater

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