AMC movie theatre at The Waterfront getting multimillion-dollar makeover with additional development plans
WEST HOMESTEAD, Pa. (KDKA) -- For years the Waterfront in West Homestead has brought families down for a movie, dinner, or even to do some shopping. Now a multi-million-dollar makeover of that entertainment district is in the works, that is expected to lead to more development and more money in the region.
Every day John Johnson walks the trails by the Waterfront shopping center.
"The Waterfront is a part of my daily life," Johnson said.
Then, he'll stop in some stores or meet friends for lunch or dinner, but in recent years some things have changed.
"There's been places due to the pandemic and situations after that that they're not open now," Johnson said.
There's finally new development on the way. The Waterfront announced Wednesday that AMC Theatres is investing millions of dollars for a six-to-nine-month renovation in 2025, after signing a long-term lease extension for the AMC Waterfront 22.
It will include a downstairs AMC MacGuffins bar where you can get specialty cocktails, beer, and wine, and new reclinable seating with more legroom, along with improvements to the common areas with new carpeting and paint.
A property spokesperson told KDKA the 22 theaters which currently seat 4,000 will be reduced to about 2,200. This will open up about one-and-a-half to two acres of land leading up to the Costco for development like apartments, hotels, and restaurants.
Lloyd Cunningham is the council president for Homestead Borough.
"Every nickel that gets spent here expands across the whole three towns," Cunningham said.
Cunningham said while the new space will be in West Homestead, they and Munhall will still feel the impact.
"All of our property tax collections are going down because all the assessed values are going down, so something new being built will add a lot to the assessed value, which will add more to the tax base," Cunningham said.
He said that's a good thing for the school district.
"The school district won't have to raise taxes on anybody in Homestead, West Homestead, and Munhall," Cunningham said.
This all comes on top of construction that's about to get underway on new apartments near the Hampton Inn.
"You know, everything feeds off each other," Cunningham said.
As for any ideas on what should come, right now Johnson doesn't know, but he's sure whatever joins the center will be great for their community.
"Anything that we can do to help the area down here is very important," Johnson said.
These are very early talks. Right now a timeline for development is unclear.
