The City desires to enter into an Exclusive Negotiation Agreement (ENA) with JCG Development (Developer) to explore a long-term lease that could substantially renovate the site and allow for state-of-the-art concerts and productions.
The AVO Playhouse is located at 303 Main Street. The historic theater was built in 1948 as a neighborhood movie house. The AVO is a fully-equipped performance venue with a 385 seat auditorium, an elevated stage, and back stage dressing rooms with restrooms. It also features a concession area and restrooms in the lobby. The City bought the theater in 1995 and restored it to accommodate live performances. Over the past few years the AVO has primarily served as a rental venue for local and traveling theatrical and musical productions.
The City has been approached by several parties interested in purchasing and/or leasing the AVO Playhouse; ultimately the parties declined to move forward due to a variety of reasons. At this time, JCG Development (JCG) has expressed interest in re-invigorating the AVO Playhouse as a music and live entertainment venue. JCG is a key partner in the new mixed-use project located at 100 Main Street, The Rylan, and they are pursuing additional partnerships and development in Vista. Given JCL’s interest in the restoration of the AVO Playhouse and their demonstrated commitment to Vista, staff recommends the City enter into an Exclusive Negotiation Agreement (ENA) with JCG Development.
This is on the agenda for Tuesdays City Council meeting.
