The embattled supporters of the Save the Granada foundation are
taking their fight to the people. The local nonprofit that has
spent the last year raising money and awareness for their dream of
reopening the theater as a performing arts facility, has filed for
a November ballot measure to enact that dream.
The embattled supporters of the Save the Granada foundation are taking their fight to the people.
The local nonprofit that has spent the last year raising money and awareness for their dream of reopening the theater as a performing arts facility, has filed for a November ballot measure to enact that dream.
The proposed ballot measure, the language of which has been approved by the city, calls for “preservation of the Granada Theater as a cultural icon.”
If approved by a majority of the city’s voters, the measure would amend the city’s “downtown specific plan” to add land-use restrictions to the property where the Granada is situated, on the 17400 block of Monterey Road. Such a restriction would limit the property’s use solely for entertainment, prohibiting any future commercial or residential use.
Save the Granada supporters said they have exhausted all other options to convince the city council to preserve the theater on its current site, including what they felt was a viable business plan they submitted when the city asked for proposals to redevelop the property which the city owns.
“We want the people to decide,” said Save the Granada foundation organizer Pamala Meador. “It’s our town, and if we want to keep the Granada Theater, then I think the people should be making this decision.”
The foundation has until Aug. 4 to get certified signatures from 10 percent of the city registered voters – or about 1,800 – before it can be accepted for the Nov. 2 general election ballot.
The city’s current plan, that the ballot measure would amend, is to redevelop the property with a mix of uses including retail, offices, residential and parking. Last week, the city council approved an “exclusive negotiating agreement” with San Jose-based Barry Swenson Builder to work on site plans for the development.
That agreement also includes another city-owned property in downtown Morgan Hill, on the 17300 block of Monterey Road, where Royal Clothiers now sits. The city council still wants to preserve cinema as an entertainment option downtown, and its current plan is to build a new multi-screen cinema on the 17300 block.
If the measure makes it to the November ballot, the property’s future plans would be in a state of limbo, potentially delaying the redevelopment project by as many as three months, according to City Manager Ed Tewes.
Barry Swenson Builder and the city has about six to nine months to design plans for both properties, but the design won’t proceed if the plans are undetermined.
“We want to be sure the project (Barry Swenson Builder) designs is the project that is going to be approved,” Tewes said.
Save the Granada says that its business plan eliminates the need for such a cinema. The group wants to renovate the theater for long-term use as a 500-seat auditorium that can accommodate live musical and theatrical performances, as well as movie screenings.
The Granada has been closed since 2003, and was open as a movie theater for about 50 years prior to that. The city has owned the property since 2008.
The proposed ballot measure notes that a “Granada Theater” has existed in different locations downtown since 1927. It cites the “fond memories” of the Granada Theater shared by local residents, as well as the facility’s historical and nostalgic value.
Preserving the theater is “integral” to the city’s plan to establish a downtown theater and “sense of place” within a sustainable community, the measure says.
The ballot language also notes the preservation of the theater would use some funding from the city’s Redevelopment Agency, but does not specify how much.
Meador said all the foundation has ever asked for from the city was the $310,000 the RDA designated for rehabilitation of the Granada as an interim cinema, to operate while the new cinema was being built.
Last week, Barry Swenson Builder presented a report to the city council citing a list of structural, mechanical, electrical and occupancy deficiencies. They said it would cost a minimum of $5 million to restore the theater for the long-term use Meador has in mind.
The Save the Granada foundation can come up with the restoration costs through fundraising, and is confident their plan will not put the city at financial risk.
However, that potential risk is why the city council has repeatedly declined to change the current redevelopment plans to save the Granada. It is uncertain to councilmembers that the theater could operate without subsidies from the city, based on previous council discussion.
Councilmembers have also noted that while the Granada is not a designated historical site, they are willing to incorporate the theater’s existing sign and marquee into the development of the new cinema.
What: Community engagement meeting with Barry Swenson Builder.
When: 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesday.
Where: Community and Cultural Center, 17000 Monterey Road.
Why: Builder seeks input on the design, and what kinds of tenants people want to see in the development.
