AMC Theater Closing
Originally Published: December 12, 2024
Will Become Daycare
AMC’s Lexington Park location on FDR Blvd near Nicolet Park will close and is planned to reopen as a daycare according to Atlantic Realty, the owners of Millison Plaza, now Pax River Village Center, which is under renovation. Conceptual documents shared during a joint meeting between the County Commissioners and the Commanding Officer of NAS PAX last week show the repurposed space. Nine classrooms could host a total of 154 children from infant to pre-k age. Other spaces include a kitchen and multi-purpose room. A 4,300 square foot church space is also shown, suggesting a potential sub-lease of this area in the building.
Phase 1 construction at Pax River Village Center is expected to be completed in May 2025. This includes the demolition of Bank of America and the old hotel. Facade updates and sidewalks are being refurbished on remaining buildings. The new Aldi grocery store is making progress with framing underway. Locations for Starbucks and Jersey Mikes are planned for the shopping center. Atlantic Realty’s goals include making the area more pedestrian friendly and increasing green area.
Later, during their regular business meeting, the Commissioners unanimously approved a new agreement with the Navy to lease Lancaster Park for $42K per year for the next 15 years. The County did not pay a lease amount during the previous 25 year contract, which expired in 2023. The 54-acre park is heavily used by the community, with the County investing millions for turf fields, a dog park, parking lots, lightning, and more. A provision in the new agreement permits the County to pay for improvements to the property in lieu of the lease amount. If project costs are more than $42K, the additional funds are put towards future lease years.
Jessica Hale, Acting Director of Recreation & Parks, told the Commissioners there is already a list of projects identified to submit for Navy approval next year. Projects must fit into certain categories, Hale said, and generally should be “improvements to the property” like additional parking, walkways, fields, or other amenities. Costs of routine maintenance, such as groundskeeping, are not eligible. Additionally, the County must install “No Parking” signage along Willows Road to prevent overflow parking from crowding the roadway. Any event inside the AICUZ expecting more than 1K participants must be cleared with the Navy, a lease provision already in place that the County has continued to meet.
