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St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lee Enterprises

Wednesday, April 2, 2008 2:15 PM CDT
Drive-in plan gets thumbs up from city

By ROB STROUD, Staff Writer
rstroud@jg-tc.com

CHARLESTON — The City Council cleared the way Tuesday evening for a drive-in movie theater to open on North 14th Street.

The council also heard the announcement that interim police Chief Mark Jenkins has been appointed to the chief position on an permanent basis. In addition, the council placed on file a proposed 9-percent increase in the city’s water and sewer rates.

More information on the rates and other agenda items will be in Thursday’s paper.

In regard to the drive-in, the council unanimously approved a conditional-use permit that will enable Sensible Cinemas theater company owner Mark McSparin to open an outdoor movie venue at the former Eagles Lodge property, 375 N. 14th St. The conditional-use permit is needed because the approximately 5-acre property is zoned industrial.

McSparin has said he hopes to open a single-screen drive-in by June and use the former Eagles building as a concession area. Plans call for the screen to be 60 feet wide by 30 feet tall, on a 15-foot stand, and for the gravel parking lot to accommodate 200-300 vehicles.

Council member Lorelei Sims said a drive-in would be a great addition to town, but she has concerns about heavy traffic flow at McSparin’s theater. Sims said she also has concerns about how the tall screen will affect neighboring residences and asked if it would be possible to point the screen a different direction, ideally north.

Mayor John Inyart responded that North 14th handled a lot more traffic years ago when the Trailmobile factory was in operation to the north. Inyart said only tall, fully mature trees or an extremely high fence, which would exceed building standards, could block the screen from view.

The buffer yards that will be required on all but the north side of the drive-in will likely contain trees but are intended to provide space between the drive-in and its neighbors, not block the screen from view.

Inyart said a north-facing screen would be better, but would conflict with McSparin using the existing lodge building on the south side of the property as a concession area.

“I see why he laid it out that way. It works with what he is buying,” Inyart said. “That is what makes it attractive for him to do this is there is some existing infrastructure that can be put to use.”

The zoning board held a public hearing on Thursday at which it voted 6-0, with one member absent, to recommend that the council approve the drive-in’s conditional use permit.

Inyart said the zoning board took public comments at the hearing, so he did not take comments prior to the council’s discussion and vote on the permit. Sims suggested placing the permit on file for two weeks. Inyart said the permit should move forward, noting it was delayed by two weeks due to not enough zoning board members being present at a previous board meeting.

Ed Carter, who lives on Madison Avenue southeast of the drive-in site, said the drive-in is a bad fit for the adjacent residential neighborhood. He said the screen will point toward the homes at night and the sound will be audible on movie-goers car stereos, exposing nearby residents there to films whether they want to see them or not.

Carter also said the drive-in will necessitate that police patrols be stepped up at the nearby city recreation trail.

In regard to Jenkins, he has served as interim chief since Paul Welch stepped down in late December to become chief of Edgewood, New Mexico’s first police department.

Jenkins, who has 30 years of experience on the police force, had been the department’s deputy chief of support services since 2005. Dave Chambers has been the deputy chief of operations since 2005.

Contact Rob Stroud at rstroud@jg-tc.com or 348-5734.

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midnt74 wrote on Apr 2, 2008 7:32 AM:

" I think this would be a great addition to the Charleston/Mattoon area. My family and I drive to Newton many times in the summer to watch a drive in movie. They show 2 movies for the price of 1,a small radio that you tune your station in to listen to the movie if your not close enough to the speakers they provide on the side of concession stand and out in the back parking lot. I don't remember the price of the showing but I know it don't cost as much as Showplace 10. And I think Showplace 10 is to expensive for this area. "

pj1983 wrote on Apr 2, 2008 9:32 AM:

" Newton is $5 for adults for 2 shows. and i THINK $3 for kids i never paid much attention to that because we never had kids with us. i grew up going to Newton's Drive in and can't wait to see how this one goes. "