Major renovation in store for the Valley’s Reseda Theater

The long-shuttered Reseda Theater on Sherman Way, a popular spot for double features during the San Fernando Valley’s postwar housing boom, could be on its way to reopening.

Developer Thomas Safran & Associates, which last year entered into an agreement with the city to redevelop the site, filed plans Wednesday to add 13,360 square feet to the property, converting it to a six-screen theater with space for 345 moviegoers.

When the developer was negotiating terms of the agreement with the city last year, the Los Angeles Daily News reported that the remodeled movie house would be operated by Laemmle Theatres, and that it would be topped with 34 units of housing for senior citizens.

The plans filed yesterday don’t include a housing component, but that portion of the project may be developed separately. We’ve reached out to the developer for clarification.

Built in 1948, the Reseda Theater closed its doors in the 1980s and was later acquired by the Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles. In 2008, Dolby Theatre owner CIM Group sought to turn it into a “community-oriented entertainment” venue, but those plans fell through.

When California’s redevelopment agencies were dissolved in 2012, the city began looking for a buyer for the empty theater (which was briefly spruced up for an appearance in Boogie Nights).

Property records show a sale hasn’t yet been finalized, but the newly filed plans suggest that the latest redevelopment proposal is moving forward.

• ‘Boogie Nights’ filming locations, mapped [Curbed LA]
• Take a look at a new Reseda apartment complex planned by the LA River [Curbed LA]
• KFC-replacing mixed use project planned for Reseda [Curbed LA]