Drive down South 277th Street at dusk on a summer night and look to the left — there’s no missing the big outdoor screens of the Valley 6 Drive-In Theaters and their flickering images.
But the passersby also can glimpse near-empty parking lots and the occasional screen in need of a patch job. Close up everything from the office to the entrances and exits shows the unmistakeable signs of hard wear and long habitation.
The heyday of the great American drive-in passed in the 1970s, but until now the Valley 6 has endured.
In October, the Valley 6, one of only six of its kind remaining in Washington state, may close for the last time. An ordinance and a development agreement between the owners of the property, the Robertson Properties Group, and the City of Auburn regarding redevelopment of the site is making its way through the various City subcommittees to an up-or-down City Council vote this fall.Council approval would allow the RPG to begin offering about 70 acres of property, including the Valley 6 and several adjacent properties at the city’s north end, for office, retail and residential development.
The Auburn Gateway Project site plan included in the development agreement shows a multi-phased development of 720,000 square feet of retail, 500 residential units and/or up to 1.6 million square feet of office space. It also calls for an extension of I Street Northeast to South 277th.
Mayor Pete Lewis put those numbers in perspective.
“The last time the City did something like this was the Lakeland Hills development, and this is on par with Lakeland Hills,” Lewis said.
For several years, the City has negotiated with RPG on future development of the acreage, touching on preparation of an environmental impact statement, changes to the comprehensive plan and zoning code to authorize a mixed-used commercial zone, and preparation of a draft development agreement and a draft planned action ordinance.
In the development agreement, which lays out development guidelines, the RPG has agreed that the layout and uses of the Auburn Gateway Project will follow these strictures:
• Other than common areas, parking and access, no multiple family residential uses will be allowed on the ground floor of any building but only in upper stories of multi-story buildings.
• It shall contain more full-service, sit-down restaurants than fast food, including drive-thru restaurants
• Gas stations and car repair service and parts business will only be built as part of a larger retail operation.
According to Lewis, when the original owners of the property sold to RPG a decade ago, they made clear that their decision was all about sagging business for the outdoor theaters.
“We sold out because you stopped coming,” the owners told City leaders.
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Last 6 standing
Auburn’s Valley 6 Drive-In is one of only six remaining outdoor theaters in the state of Washington. The other five:
• Auto Vue Drive-In, Colville
• Blue Fox Drive-In, Oak Harbor
• Rodeo Triplex Drive-In, Port Orchard
• Wheel in Motor Movie, Port Townsend
• Skyline Drive-In, Shelton
– Source: Drive-Ins.com
