A protest was held in Alameda on Saturday July 23rd to say "NO!" to the idea of building a megaplex on the island. The city has a plan to build a seven-screen cinema and a six-story parking structure next door to the historic Alameda Theater. The issue continues to be debated at the Alameda City Council. The protest, outside of the theater on Central Avenue, included balloons on long strings to illustrate how high the proposed building would be, dogs wearing signs, and people giving out water and flyers about the megaplex. A report from the protest said, "It's nice to be a part of a genuine effort by a whole community, people of all ages and backgrounds." Opponents of the megaplex say that the new theater is not what people wanted, because it is not a restoration of an historic theater, but rather construction of a new one. Stop the Megaplex wants attractive movie theatres that fit with the small-town character of Alameda. The group says that it would be a bad deal for Alameda taxpayers, and would create a parking and traffic nightmare.

Hundreds of people went to the City Council meeting on August 16th to say no to the megaplex. Report The council's plan stayed largely the same, with minor design revisions, including the exploration of more vertical elements for the parking garage, a "less modern" look to the second-story cineplex windows, and the restoration of the original ticket booth or a facsimile (not necessarily to be used as such) to the historic theater entryway.

A Stop the Megaplex meeting was held on Thursday, August 4th. The meeting included an update on the latest developments, set a strategy for the August 16th City Council meeting, and answered people's questions. Plans were also made for a phone calling campaign prior to the 16th.

Stop Alameda Megaplex Website | Alameda City Council Info | Alameda Daily News | Announcement for 7/23 Protest | Photos from the 7/23 Protest