Berkeley movie house property is bought, housing highrise is eyed

BERKELEY — A busy Bay Area developer has grabbed a choice Berkeley site where a multi-screen movie complex is located — and where a new housing highrise with hundreds of units has been proposed.

Panoramic Interests, acting through an affiliate, has bought a property where the Regal UA Berkeley cinema house operates at present, according to documents filed on Aug. 11 with the Alameda County Recorder’s Office.

The San Francisco-based development firm paid $7 million for the movie theater property, the county public records show.

The just-purchased property is located at 2274 Shattuck Ave. in downtown Berkeley, according to the county documents.

The seller was an affiliate of United Artists, the public files show.

“Partial removal of the existing commercial structure to allow for the construction of a new 17-story mixed-use development with 239 dwelling units, ground-level lobbies, commercial space, and parking” is the primary vision for the proposed project, according to documents that are on file with the Berkeley Planning Department.

The existing facade of the movie theater would remain in place and the residential tower would sprout behind the entry area of the cinema house on Shattuck Avenue, a concept for the proposed development show.

It wasn’t clear from the proposal how much of the existing movie theater structure would be retained, beyond the entry facade area.

Commercial showings of movies, such as what is currently the case at the Regal UA cinema house, would not be allowed at the site in the future, a restriction that was filed with the purchase deed shows.

Part of the project would have a frontage on Bancroft Avenue around the corner from the Shattuck Avenue movie house entryway, the plan sets filed with the city show.

BERKELEY — A busy Bay Area developer has grabbed a choice Berkeley site where a multi-screen movie complex is located — and where a new housing highrise with hundreds of units has been proposed.

Panoramic Interests, acting through an affiliate, has bought a property where the Regal UA Berkeley cinema house operates at present, according to documents filed on Aug. 11 with the Alameda County Recorder’s Office.

The San Francisco-based development firm paid $7 million for the movie theater property, the county public records show.

The just-purchased property is located at 2274 Shattuck Ave. in downtown Berkeley, according to the county documents.

The seller was an affiliate of United Artists, the public files show.

“Partial removal of the existing commercial structure to allow for the construction of a new 17-story mixed-use development with 239 dwelling units, ground-level lobbies, commercial space, and parking” is the primary vision for the proposed project, according to documents that are on file with the Berkeley Planning Department.

The existing facade of the movie theater would remain in place and the residential tower would sprout behind the entry area of the cinema house on Shattuck Avenue, a concept for the proposed development show.

It wasn’t clear from the proposal how much of the existing movie theater structure would be retained, beyond the entry facade area.

Commercial showings of movies, such as what is currently the case at the Regal UA cinema house, would not be allowed at the site in the future, a restriction that was filed with the purchase deed shows.

Part of the project would have a frontage on Bancroft Avenue around the corner from the Shattuck Avenue movie house entryway, the plan sets filed with the city show.