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A new luxury movie chain is moving into The Village at San Antonio Center in Mountain View, taking over the site of the ShowPlace Icon theater that abruptly closed earlier this year.
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, an Austin-based company, plans to have the theater ready for movie-goers next summer, with premium viewing technology and top-notch amenities. But it is not the only new business that is coming to the high-end shopping center at 645 San Antonio Road.
Brookfield Properties, the principal real-estate holder, has landed several other tenants as well, filling 90,000 square feet of commercial space, according to a recent press release.
“We’re really trying to introduce a diverse array of services and retailers,” said Cutter MacLeod, vice president of asset management at Brookfield Properties.
MacLeod rattled off a list of new tenants at San Antonio Center that includes an automotive showroom and dealership, educational learning center, pet nutrition and grooming store, a pizzeria, a burger joint and a specialty skincare provider.
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is the flagship, however. “It’s a unique offering,” MacLeod said, describing it as a key piece in a dynamic urban setting where people can live, work and enjoy recreational activities all in one spot.
This vision was partially realized with the ShowPlace Icon movie theater, which opened in 2018. At the time, it was under a lease with the original developer, Merlone Geier, which was building San Antonio Center as a multi-phased, mixed-use development.
In 2021, Brookfield Properties came onto the scene and purchased several holdings. Initially, what got the company excited about the site was the large office component, MacLeod said. But then it saw a lot of multifamily apartments popping up, creating opportunities for foot traffic not just from office workers but also people living nearby, he said.
As part of the site acquisition, Brookfield Properties took over the lease for ShowPlace Icon, a movie chain operated by Kerasotes Theatres. Then earlier this year, Kerasotes Theatres went out of business and sold off or closed all of its locations, including the one in Mountain View.
Not wanting to lose the cinema experience, Brookfield Properties quickly shifted gears to find a replacement. “It was important to try and keep some continuity at the property for the community because we know that this is one of the local favorite theaters. It’s new and nice, and so it was important to us to keep that activated,” MacLeod said.
Brookfield Properties ultimately selected Alamo Drafthouse Cinema to fill the spot. It has a lot of differentiated offerings, MacLeod said, referring to the cinema’s reputation for having a wide selection of movies, along with thematic events like retro movie nights. It also has great food and beverage services, MacLeod said.
Before opening to the public, Alamo plans on doing some renovations to the theater, even though it’s relatively new. This includes putting in 1,100 luxury recliners and “rejiggering” some of the interior spaces to align more closely with the Alamo brand, MacLeod said.
Alamo also has signed onto a long-term lease. “They’re committed to the property, and we are as well. So, they’ll be here for the long haul,” MacLeod said.
A handful of new tenants will also be coming to The Village at San Antonio Center next year, MacLeod said. He declined to divulge specific details about it, other than saying there would be some food operators and a fitness center.
“There were some slow periods but really over the last 18 to 24 months, and especially the last 12 months, we’ve just had a sharp uptick in interest,” MacLeod said.
