Up to the Voters Whether Cinema Passes Screen Test : Redevelopment: It looks as if a petition drive will result in a referendum on whether a 10- to 12-screen movie theater will be built downtown.

DOWNEY —  The fate of a downtown theater complex could be in the hands of Downey voters as a result of a petition drive that concluded this week.

Organizers turned in more than 5,400 signatures--about 1,300 more than necessary--to place a proposed 10- to 12-screen cinema on the ballot. Officials see the development as pivotal to reviving a commercially slumbering downtown.

If the signatures are verified by the county registrar, the City Council must either withdraw the development plan or submit it to a popular vote.

“This project impacts all of the citizens of Downey, directly or indirectly,” said Larry Squire, who organized the petition drive. “That is why Downey residents should decide.”

Squire added that he would probably vote against the project, in part because of concern over its size.

He had until Monday to turn in enough signatures. On deadline day, he arrived with bundles of petitions.

City Clerk Judith McDonnell and her staff spent two days reviewing the petitions. They tossed out invalid signatures, such as those of signers who listed a post office box or an address outside the city. More than 5,400 signatures survived this cursory check.

Wednesday, McDonnell delivered the petitions to the registrar’s office, which has 30 days to verify that petition signers are registered voters.

If the petitions are validated, an election could be held as early as May, officials said.

The petition drive represents the latest setback to the development.

A community group called Downey Cares filed suit in November to block the development. That suit will probably be on hold pending the outcome of the referendum, said Christopher Sutton, attorney for Downey Cares.

A protracted lawsuit could cost the city as much as $100,000. The referendum would probably cost about $50,000, Assistant City Manager Lee Powell said.

Developer George Krikorian, who owns eight theater complexes in Southern California, had hoped to open the Downey cinemas by early 1995. Even if the city turns back the challenges, the project could be delayed, Powell said.

“It’s unfortunate that there are people who are being negative about something the community clearly needs, a modern movie theater,” he said.

The proposed multiscreen theater would seat as many as 2,500. The project, approved last month by the City Council, includes a four-story, 355-space free public parking structure.

Squire said he just isn’t sure that Downey needs a large theater complex.

If the project goes forward, “Downey might not be the quiet town we moved into, the quiet town we used to know,” Squire said. “A lot of people who signed the petitions indicated just that. They enjoy their quiet neighborhoods.”

While gathering signatures, Squire said he encountered numerous residents who either were unfamiliar with the project or knew little about it. The experience demonstrated that the city has not sought enough public input, he said.

Sutton criticized the city for not seeking an official review from City Council-appointed citizen committees that oversee parking, traffic and redevelopment. He also faulted officials for not preparing an environmental report on the project.

Powell countered that Downey has followed all legal requirements for public hearings, some of which were well-attended. Any property owner who might be directly affected by the development was notified of the hearings by mail, he said.

And a $20,000 parking and traffic study persuaded officials that a more detailed environmental impact report was not needed, he said.

Sutton accused officials of giving the developer too many financial concessions.

Krikorian would receive substantial city assistance. Officials would refund to Krikorian the city’s share of property taxes generated by the theater. They estimate that the refund would be worth about $1.42 million over the 30-year life of the project. The city, which paid the county $1.3 million for the project site in 1991, would sell the land to Krikorian for $1.

In exchange, the city would get an entertainment complex for its residents, any revenue generated from sales taxes and, with luck, a catalyst to breathe economic life into downtown.

Krikorian recently estimated that he would invest about $10 million in the theater.

The theater would be built on the location of the former county courthouse on 2nd Street, between La Reina Avenue and New Street.

“92,000 people live in Downey,” Powell said. “Right now those people have to go to Cerritos or someplace else to see a movie. I think the theater complex here will be very successful. There’s a great market.”

He added that the theater might also make downtown more viable for restaurants and other businesses. And the new parking garage would help address longtime complaints about inadequate parking.

The project’s critics contend that the garage would provide the proposed theater about 500 fewer parking spaces than usually required for a development of its size. The City Council approved the smaller garage after reviewing a city-funded study that suggested more parking space was not needed.

“The city has simply not planned this theater sufficiently,” Sutton said. “There needs to be another thousand spaces, at least. It’s clear that what you’re going to have is massive poaching of all the available (downtown) parking spaces” by theater patrons.

“I think the Krikorian theater has to be scaled back,” Sutton said. “It’s just out of balance.”

Powell said he is optimistic that the theater development could win voter approval, in part because concerns about crowding are overstated.

“If you want to revitalize downtown, you want to generate traffic. The way you revitalize downtown is to have people come there,” he said.

Community correspondent Suzan Schill contributed to this article.