Beacon expansion set
BROOKSVILLE – In six months, movie enthusiasts won’t have to travel to Tampa to experience an action flick on a large screen.
The Beacon Stadium Cinemas 10 expansion project is set to begin Oct. 28. The building improvement and expansion includes a Georgia Theatre Extreme auditorium with an 80-foot-wide by 40-foot-tall screen and Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound.
The building, located off of State Road 50 and Mariner Boulevard in the Western Way Plaza, will be expanding west into an area currently being used as a parking lot.
A memo distributed to Western Way Plaza tenants on Friday morning shows that in addition to the building expansion, the complex will receive a new parking lot on the north side of the building, as well as improvements to sidewalks, exterior lighting, landscaping and striping.
A building on the east side of the theater will also be demolished, and additional parking will be added on the north end of the property.
Construction is expected to last six months and be completed in stages to minimize the impact on plaza businesses.
Georgia Theatre Company President Bo Chambliss told Hernando Today earlier this year he hopes the large-screen format will attract visitors from Hernando and surrounding counties.
“It is definitely the place to see an action movie.” Chambliss said.
The company owns 310 movie theaters at 31 locations in Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and Virginia.
The original expansion and improvement plans were sent to the county’s building department in March, which asked for improvements including fire protection and upgraded landscaping.
Michael D. Bates contributed to this report.
wbiddlecombe@hernandotoday .com
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