Visulite plans in review

Site plans for the proposed Visulite Theater in Waynesboro have been submitted to the city’s building and zoning office and are currently under review.

The plans call for a 30,000- square-foot, 10-screen theater on 6.6 acres along Lew DeWitt Boulevard, in DeWitt Crossing, with 1,106 seats and 384 parking spaces. The theater’s front would run perpendicular to Lew Dewitt, and the building would be 36 feet tall.

The proposed theater would be a digital multiplex and would allow for projection of live concerts and major sporting events. It would feature mainstream movies and bring three-dimensional projection.

The DeWitt Crossing location is about a half-mile from the site of a proposed 12-screen theater in Waynesboro Place, though plans for that are currently on hold.

Adam Greenbaum, president of the Staunton-based Visulite Cinemas, said in August he hoped to have the theater open by November 2010. Greenbaum could not be reached Tuesday for comment.

Visulite operates seven screens at three theaters in the region – the Visulite Twin and Dixie 4 in Staunton and the Vinegar Hill Theatre in Charlottesville.

Brett Hayes, the developer of the DeWitt Crossing property, expects at least two restaurants and other businesses to locate on the 33-acre site. The theater would be more than 100 feet from an adjacent neighborhood. The property already has the necessary infrastructure and does not need rezoning.

Golden Corral also announced plans in August to build near the Lowe’s store on Lew DeWitt Boulevard, not far from the site of the proposed theater.

Vice Mayor Frank Lucente said he looks forward to the theater’s opening. The land where the theater is proposed is valued at more than $2 million, according to information from his Web site, Hayes Investment LLC.

“We have a site plan,” Lucente said. “That’s a pretty good indication that this will be a reality, and that’s another piece in the Waynesboro plan. It’s certainly a welcome, welcome addition, especially in these times and demonstrates that Waynesboro is a place where people want to invest.”