CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WVEC) -- After years of being abandoned, a landmark movie theater is coming down.
"It was a nice movie theater," said one man as he watched the demolition.
The Cinemark movie theater stood vacant for years. The city took over the property and a decision was made that the land would be more marketable for redevelopment if the building was torn down.
"It's time to move on, time to make change," said Gene Bruns, who came by the demolition site on Wednesday.
Currently, the proposed project for the land is a 62+ senior living community.
"I don't think a retirement community is fit for this area, but hey it kind of sits back on it's own and out of the way so it might fit it," said Burns.
"I really think a retirement community is fit for this area, senior citizens want to be close to convenience," said Chesapeake resident Linda Wilkins.
Chesapeake Councilman Roland Davis tells 13News Now that city council isn't expected to take up the senior community project for several months.
According to Jaleh M. Shea with the Chespeake Planning Dept., plans for construction have not yet been set because the senior community's application is still being reviewed.
A public hearing to put the retirement home's construction up to vote has not been scheduled either.
Shea expects that the earliest it might be heard by the Planning Commission is in April.