The following letter to the editor was provided by 59 Lynnfield residents in regard to the debate over a proposed specialty cinema that National Development plans to seek voter approval for at the fall town meeting.


To the Editor:
March 7, 2013

We are writing to request that National Development (“ND”) completely withdraw (not just delay), its proposal to add a multiplex movie theater (“multiplex”) to Market Street.  We want ND to honor the character of the development that was proposed and passed by the Town as well as the deal ND struck with the Market Street neighbors in 2007 to gain support for the development.  If ND does not withdraw its proposal, and brings this before the Town again next fall, we are asking you to once again vote NO to a multiplex movie theater.  The repeated attempts by ND to push for a movie theater as part of this project is extremely disappointing, especially given the history of this project and the complete disregard of the representations ND made to the Town and the neighbors of Market Street.  As outlined below, the proposed multiplex theater - 8 cinemas with a total of 1000 or more seats - will negatively impact the Town in numerous ways.  And folks, despite ND’s attempted spin on this, the proposed theater is a multiplex (defined as a “movie theater complex with multiple screens, typically six, ten or more screens”).

In February 2007, ND originally proposed 16 cinemas.  At that time, the Selectmen, the Planning Board, as well as other Town boards, agreed that a multiplex theater would not be part of the development and that it would not benefit the Town.  ND initially decreased the number of cinemas to 10 and then removed the movie theater proposal completely, knowing that the Town would not approve the development with a multiplex theater.  In early April 2007, Joe DeMaina and Wally McKenzie, representing a large number of Market Street neighbors, met with Ted Tye and Ed Marsteiner because of concerns about the size of the development.  ND reduced the retail space an additional 55,000 sq ft, which was incorporated into the zoning bylaw.  As a result of that agreement, Mr. DeMaina and Mr. Mckenzie gained significant support for the project from a large number of neighbors.  The zoning bylaw changes  passed 1592-391 - 81% of the vote - with the understanding that the development would NOT include a multiplex and would remain at 395,000 sq ft of retail. 

Then, in October 2008 (510 days later), ND completely disregarded the agreement and the representations it made to the neighboring residents of Market Street and proposed a “specialty theater,” with an additional 38,000 sq ft and 360 seats.  The Town rejected the proposal.   Once again ND is ignoring the oral agreement it struck with neighbors and is proposing a multiplex made up of 8 theaters, 100-125 seats in each (or up to 1200 seats), an additional 45,000 sq ft of space, and an additional 5 feet in height.  ND has a “pretty” slide presentation with pictures of the old town center theaters to market this proposal, but these old town center theaters are a far cry from the multiplex being proposed.  A multiplex with approximately 1000 seats and three showings a night (3000 additional people on average), is not a Lynnfield town center theater.  Also, ND’s representation, that there will be little or no impact on traffic from the addition of a theater of this size, is disingenuous.  Just look at the narrowness of the immediate access roads.  A movie theater of this size will impact significantly the traffic in this area, and as a result, other parts of Town will also experience an increase in traffic!   

Lynnfield should be skeptical of the representations of the alleged benefits to the Town from this proposed theater, and it should carefully consider all of the likely negative impacts to the Town (which will far outweigh the $200,000 in revenue that ND “estimates” the theater will generate for the Town – a mere fraction of 1% of the Town’s $33,000,000 budget).

A few additional facts to consider:

• An 8 theater multiplex is not in line with the “Village/Town Center” ND marketed this project to be (and will likely result in, among other things, large groups of teens hanging around the theater and increased nighttime activities).
• The “Village/Town Center” concept has morphed into a 120 foot wide "street" to accommodate parking (this was a change from the 46 foot wide “neighborhood” road that was originally proposed to the Town to create a Town Center feel for Lynnfield).
• According to one resident at the Selectman’s meeting, a source from the MBTA states that there are already studies underway to extend the bus line from the Kohl’s Plaza to Market Street. 
• More than 90 percent of the retail space already has been leased.  ND has been able to attract tenants WITHOUT such a cinema.

Please consider the size of this multiplex and the impact of what is being proposed, both to those who neighbor this development and to the Town, in general.  Please join us in letting ND know that it should abide by its 2007 agreement, and please vote NO to this multiplex proposal if ND brings it to Town Meeting in October of this year.  Thank you.