Sundance Cinemas to Open in Westchester

Moviegoers will soon have another venue to see independent films nearby. This week, Robert Redford’s Sundance Cinemas announced that they will build and run and 8-screen movie house in Dobbs Ferry. The location is a new development called Rivertowns Square at the intersection of the Saw Mill Parkway and Lawrence Street in Dobbs Ferry (see map at right.) The Westchester cinema will be the fifth addition to the group who now runs theatres in Madison, WI, San Francisco, CA and Houston, TX and is currently building a theatre in West Hollywood, CA.

Plans for Rivertowns Square include restaurants, boutiques, a gourmet market, entertainment and luxury residences. The complex will be accessed from the Saw Mill Parkway and parking will be free.

Sundance Cinema will screen both independent films and the best in general releases. The theatre will offer drinks and food as well as reserved stadium seating. They will also host visits from filmmakers and exclusive screenings. Perhaps the best news for customers is that there will be no on-screen commercials!

The Sundance Cinema in Westchester will occupy 32,500 square feet of space and is slated to open in the Spring of 2014. Westchester is already home to two independent film venues, the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville and the Pelham Picture House in Pelham. And the development at Rivertowns Square sounds surprisingly similar to the newly opened Ridge Hill mixed-use plaza off Stew Leonard’s Drive in Yonkers which includes a Cinema de Lux, Lord and Taylor, Whole Foods, restaurants, shops and apartments.

It will be interesting to see just how much development Westchester residents can support.