Paramus Park Mall Gets OK for Movie Theater

The addition of a movie theater is now in Paramus Park Mall's future.

The mall got unanimous approval Thursday night from the Paramus Zoning Board of Adjustment to use 88,000 square feet of previously approved expansion space for a movie theater and a restaurant.

Three hours of testimony Thursday included discussion surrounding the requested height variance - 60 feet with an additional 5 feet of screening - over the required 36 feet as well as a variance for the 4,445 parking spaces proposed as opposed to the 5,039 required.

The mall also sought relief from a previous condition that only 50 percent of the expansion space be used for non-retail.

By approving the use, the percentage of the mall's non-retail use increases from 10 percent to 11.5 percent. Board members expressed interest in putting a cap on how much non-retail the space the mall could have in the future.

The Thursday night approval was just step one.

Paramus Park Mall will have to return to the Zoning Board for major site plan approval where traffic, signage, drainage and other details will be looked at more closely and will have to meet conditions set by the Board.

Board members said they particularly wanted to learn more about traffic patterns and hoped to see some improvements made to access roadways from A&S Drive and Ring Road.

Some preliminary site plan ideas were put forward Thursday night while discussing the need for the height and parking variances. 

Architect Navid Naqami explained the layout for the 2-story addition which includes a parking area as well as 8,000 square feet of restaurant space on the ground level. The second level would include the 64,000 square foot theater which would have 13 screens.

The theater would operate 7 days a week, 365 days a year with peak hours being 6 to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, according to Ken Lavarre, senior director of development for the mall's owners General Growth Properties.

Lavarre would not give any indication of which movie theater outfitter is looking into the space. He did reveal there is interest in offering an "enhanced concession stand" offering food items such as pizzas and paninis and possibly beer and wine which would require the need for a liquor license.

Among some of the issues the mall will have to address with its major site plan is elevator access in the new addition.

Board members were concerned that the preliminary plans did not include elevators. As per Naqami, it's intended that patrons would use the existing elevators in the mall to access the theater however Board member James Huffman suggested this would require a "tremendous amount of walking." Lavarre agreed to further study the elevator situation.

Dates for future hearings will be set once the mall returns with an application for site plan approval.

'Like' Paramus Patch on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.