VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — This week, the community could learn more about the future of a movie theater near the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.
Last month, News 3 reported that Ascent Church was looking to take over the lease for the location currently occupied by Beach Cinema Alehouse.
The Virginia Beach Planning Commission had decided to delay that decision by another 30 days.
Thomas Lane, the senior pastor for Ascent Church, emphasized that they are not trying to remove a local movie theater.
"Oh no I love the movies," Lane said.
Instead, they are trying to take on an opportunity after learning the lease for 941 Laskin Road, where the current Beach Cinema Ale House is located, was available.
“This is just an opportunity to make a greater impact on the city,” Lane said.
With over 1,000 members, the church aims to better serve the community through outreach programs and to be more centrally located compared to its current site off Shore Drive.
“That’s our heartbeat. We would love to continue to grow. It’s not about us; it’s not about numbers or anything like that. It’s about serving the city better, and we feel that this would strategically put us in a place to impact more people and more families,” Lane added.
Last month, a public hearing was held regarding a religious use permit for the property.
However, a decision was delayed by 30 days due to a lack of public outreach after concerns were raised by residents about potential traffic issues.
“To put this there would create a nightmare for traffic,” one resident voiced during the hearing. “The gentleman said he wants to route it to the traffic circle. I can't tell you how many accidents I've seen at the traffic circle under normal circumstances.”
On Monday night, Ascent Church planned to hold a community meeting with neighbors at the convention center to discuss and address residents' concerns.
Lane said they are open to options on how to better maintain traffic on their busiest days such as Sunday.
“If that involves officers, we're all about that. We love our police force. If that means making it clear that people leave and turn right and go around the roundabout, we’re fine with that too,” Lane said.
The next public hearing will take place on Wednesday, April 9.
News 3 will continue to follow this story and provide updates on any developments.
