Citizens Amphitheater Committee Meeting Minutes August 17, 2023 Page 1
CITY OF SAN CLEMENTE
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE
CITIZENS AMPHITHEATER COMMITTEE
August 17, 2023
Committee Members Present: Wayne Eggleston; Susie Lantz; Amanda Quintanilla
Committee Members Absent: Kirsti McCleary; Pamela Roth
Staff Present: Beaches, Parks, and Recreation Director Samantha Wylie Call to Order at 10:09 a.m.
1. MINUTES
A. Citizen Amphitheater Committee Minutes - July 24, 2023 Motion by Committee member Eggleston, second by Committee member Lantz, passed (3-0).
2. OLD BUSINESS
A. Discussion on feasibility of an amphitheater
Beaches, Parks & Recreation Director Wylie summarized the purpose of the Committee meeting was to get a tour of the commercial property listed for lease and explore the viability of utilizing the property for an indoor performing arts center.
Members of the public were present for the tour and meeting, including Amanda Cobb, Founding Director of the Ballet Academy & Movement; Donia Moore, San Clemente Journal; and Leslie Eisner, President of the Camino Real Playhouse.
Jim Wynne, listing manager of the Krikorian Movie Theater property, provided an overview of the property and real estate listing details. Mr. Wynne provided the following insight:
• The property owner has commissioned plans to return the building to its shell, including removal of walls and the mezzanine; the rough estimated cost of demolition is $1,000,000;
• The existing HVAC unit and roof need to be replaced in full - owner will manage this cost;
• There is no interest from other movie theater companies to utilize the space as a movie theater;
• If they are unable to find a single tenant, the property owner has considered plans for a demising wall to split the unit into two separate commercial spaces; • The asking monthly lease rate is $2.25/sq.ft. net; net charges are $0.65/sq.ft.; all-in costs are estimated at $3.00/sq.ft., plus utilities; Citizèns Amphitheater Committee Meeting Minutes August 17, 2023 Page 2 • The property is approximately 24,000 sq.ft.; The second floor is approximately 4,000 sq.ft., is not included in the total square footage and is excluded from the listing price;
• There is one offer on the property from Zion Church which includes a request for tenant improvement dollars but the owner declined due to the other investment improvements;
• The property owner is not interested in selling the property; • Parking was discussed, including a reciprocal parking agreement that existed with the movie theater;
• It is likely a new parking study would be required or explored; • The building is not likely ADA compliant; there is no elevator; seating may not be current with building code;
• There are six theaters - four stadium and two standard seating; • Theater seating varies from theater to theater.
The committee members asked questions and toured the facility, and made the following comments either individually or as a group:
• ADA compliance is an important upgrade;
• The mezzanine level would not need to be removed because it is important for the tech operations for performances;
• The church may be interested in subletting to other organizations to offset lease costs;
• The theaters are in decent condition and could be quickly modified to build a stage with the removal of a few rows of seats.
• A wall could be removed between the larger theaters to increase the capacity of one theater stage and expand usage for larger productions; • Separate theater options are intriguing to diversify the offerings; • Options for staging, dressing rooms, and stage production must be considered within each space;
• Second floor can provide storage for props and staging supplies; • An architect may need to be utilized for further consideration in construction and design options;
• Subletting the property may be an option to consider.
Members of the public made the following comments either individual or as a group:
• The Ballet Academy and Movement organization is looking for a space to host performances with seating up to 300 people per show and training facility; • Projectors would need to be removed, but the mezzanine level is important to a performing arts operation;
• Camino Real Playhouse needs to vacate its property within 18-24 months after 35 years of occupancy; it has two theaters that seat 60-110 people; they desire to increase this capacity up to 150 to allow for larger audiences with fewer shows; they currently host children's camps, comedy shows, music shows, and theater arts;
Citizens Amphitheater Committee Meeting Minutes August 17, 2023 Page 3 • Camino Real Playhouse has all its own equipment and production materials and can be ready to operate in a new facility within two months; • Separate theater options could serve more user groups; • A tech booth and functioning curtains are important at each theater space.
NEW BUSINESS
Future Meeting Date
Committee members a desire to meet quickly following and shared dates and times that work best for a future date. It was determined that Friday, August 25 at 1 p.m. worked best for the committee.
ORAL COMMUNICATION
None
5. ADJOURNMENT
Adjourned at 11:08 a.m. to Friday, August 25, 2023 at 1 p.m. at San Clemente City Hall located at 910 Calle Negocio, San Clemente, CA 92673.
Respectfully submitted,
Wayne Eggleston, Member
ausicanty
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Susie Lantz, Member
Sirsti Mccleary
Kirstin McCleary, Member
Amanda Ountantle
Amanda Quintanilla, Member
Not Present at 8-17-23 Meeting
Pamela Roth, Member
Citizens Amphitheater Committee Meeting Minutes August 17, 2023 Page 4 Attest:
Beaches, Parks & Recreation Director