Hearing On Madison Movie Theater Continues

MADISON, NJ - The hearing on the possible demolition of the Madison Movie Theater continues at the Historic Preservation Commission meeting on Tuesday.

Saxum Real Estate, the property owner, detailed their plans for the property at the March 12 meeting of the committee. The meeting ran long and the hearing was extended to a second part on April 9.

The future of 14 Lincoln Place property has been the subject of much debate after Saxum Real Estate purchased the building. Locals were surprised when Bow Tie Cinemas unexpectedly shuttered its doors in May of 2017. The Madison movie theater, last owned and operated by Bow Tie Cinemas, had shown movies for over 90 years. Bow Tie purchased the theater in 2013, and upgraded the projectors to digital and and added stadium seating.

In January Saxum submitted plans to the Madison Land Use Office for the redevelopment of the theater site. According to Madison Mayor Robert Conley, the application is similar to the concept that was presented last year to the Madison Historic Preservation Commission and included a mix of residential and commercial.

In advance of the meeting, Saxum Real Estate released an open letter to the public outlining some of their plans.

Since the application calls for the demolition of a building in the historic district they also need to appear in front of the Historic Preservation Commission to be completed, Conley said. Once done with the Historic Preservation Commission meeting, the plans will be heard by the Planning Board to be scheduled once the application is deemed complete.

The second part of the hearing is open to the public and will be held in the Borough Council Chambers on the 2nd floor of Hartley Dodge Memorial Building at 7:30 p.m.

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