Cinema Demolition Clears Way For Barn Plaza Expansion In Doylestown Township

DOYLESTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — The shuttered Regal Cinema on Route 611 is days away from becoming a memory.

Demolition continues at the former movie house as the next phase of the Barn Plaza redevelopment project moves forward.

Gone are the faux twin silos that have stood over the site for decades. And soon, the building that once housed the screening rooms, will crumble into history as heavy equipment tears down the remaining walls and interior.

Regal closed its Barn Plaza location in early 2023 after the nationwide movie theater chain declared bankruptcy and began shutting down operations nationwide.

Under preliminary/final land development plans approved by the Doylestown Township Board of Supervisors in 2025, the site will be redeveloped with 41,000 square feet of new restaurant and retail space.

Once the demolition is complete and the site is cleared, Brixmor Property Group, which owns and manages the Barn Plaza, plans to move forward with construction.

Only the walls and part of the interior remain standing at the former Regal Cinema on Route 611. (Jeff Werner)

A pile of debris is all that's left at the site of one of the faux silos. (Jeff Werner/Patch)

(Jeff Werner/Patch)

The former Regal Cinema before demolition began. (Jeff Werner/Patch)

According to approved plans for the site, three new standalone commercial buildings will be constructed, extending the shopping center to the north through the former movie theater site.

A new 9,600-square-foot building, located closest to the existing shopping center, will add two new restaurant uses, including a Burtons Grill and Bar. Both will include outdoor dining areas.

The largest of the three buildings, at 28,000 square feet, will sit at the center of the former cinema site. It will include several “prominent tenants” that Brixmor officials say will complement the shopping center.

The third building will be home to a drive-through coffee shop and two new retail tenants.

In addition to the new construction, Brixmor will be improving the site with new stormwater management systems while meeting environmental requirements under the township’s subdivision and land development ordinances.

To enhance traffic flow at the shopping center, the plan will add a new right-turn-in and right-turn-out only traffic movement onto Route 611 at the northern end of the former cinema site.

Enhancements are also planned to facilitate the safe flow of pedestrians between the existing shopping center and the redeveloped cinema site. And new sidewalks are planned along the shopping center's entire frontage.

“We’re very excited about (the plan) and we think it’s really going to solidify the property and make it sustainable,” William Greimel, vice president of redevelopment for Brixmor told township planners last spring.

The redevelopment of the former cinema site is part of a broader multi-million-dollar project that has included a major upgrade to the facade of the shopping center and the construction of a new Whole Foods store and a new Barnes & Noble store at the former site of Marshall's and Home Goods.

The new Barnes & Noble store opened in early September 2024 and the new Whole Foods store opened in early 2025.

The Barn Plaza is also home to a Kohl’s Department, Gerhard’s Appliances, Douglas Jewelers, Piccolo Trattoria, Honeygrow, Pure Barre, Mattress Firm, Club Pilates, among others.