Theater, Cafe Planned as Part of Retail Center

A developer plans to bring a seven-screen theater and cafe to South Lake Avenue in Pasadena as the anchor to an upscale project in Macy’s parking lot.

Forest City Development has reached an initial agreement with Reading Entertainment to bring an Angelika Film Center & Cafe to the Macy’s project, which will be known as the the Shops at South Lake Avenue, a company official said.

The developer plans to use the theater to attract high-end stores and restaurants to the project, said Dee Driscoll, a community outreach coordinator for the project.

The project must still be approved by the city, which is expected to release a draft environmental impact report in the first week of October.

After considerable objections from neighboring residential areas, plans to bring a bigger multiplex and a large food store were abandoned in July.