Residents of Alhambra will vote on November 3 to determine if data centers are banned in their city. Meanwhile, Sony Pictures and Alamo Drafthouse Cinema have announced plans to restore and reopen the historic Cinerama Dome by 2028.
The 2028 return of the Cinerama Dome
Sony Pictures has announced a comprehensive plan to lease,restore, and reopen the Cinerama Dome, a landmark movie theater that has remained shuttered since the onset of the COVID pandemic. According to the report,the theater is slated to welcome audiences back in 2028. The operational side of the revival will be handled by Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, which intends to manage the Dome along with 14 additional screens at the connected multiplex.
This partnership represents a significant investment in the physical experience of cinema. Sony Pictures has pledged to maintain the historical integrity of the site while updating it for modern audiences, ensuring that one of the world's most recognizable cinematic structures does not fade into obsolescence.
William Forman's 1963 geodesic vision
The Cinerama Dome was originally commissioned in 1963 by William Forman, the founder of Pacific Theaters and a pioneer of the drive-in cinema movement. As the source noted, the building's unique geodesic design was the work of a French architect who had studied under the legendary R. Buckminster Fuller. This architectural choice was not merely aesthetic but functional, designed specifically to showcase the Cinerama format.
Developed in the 1950s, Cinerama was a widescreen cinematic experience intended to lure audiences away from the growing popularity of television and back into the theater. This effort to create a "spectacle" that could not be replicated at home echoes the modern industry's push toward IMAX and premium large-format screens,suggesting that the Cinerama Dome's revival is part of a larger trend toward "event" cinema.
Alhambra's November 3 data center showdown
In a starkly different development, the city of Alhambra is preparing for a general election on November 3 where voters will decide the legality of data centers within city limits. a simple majority of local voters is required for the ban to pass. If successful, Alhambra would become only the second city in California to implement such a ban through a driect public vote.
The move reflects a growing tension between the needs of the digital economy and the desires of local residents. While data centers provide critical infrastructure for the internet and AI, they often bring concerns regarding energy consumption, noise, and land use, leading some municipalities to seek preemptive bans to protect local zoning.
The lesson from Monterey Park's Measure NDC
The push for the ban in Alhambra has been marked by a focus on the precision of ballot language. Andrew Yip, an organizer with SGV Progressive Action and a resident of Alhambra, highlighted the pitfalls of vague wording during a recent council meeting. Yip pointed to Monterey Park's June ballot measure, known as Measure NDC (No Data Center), which he claimed left some opponents confused about how to vote.
While the Alhambra council has already voted to create an official definition of what constitutes a data center, several critical details remain unknown. The report does not specify the exact parameters of this definition, nor does it clarify if the ban would apply to existing facilities or only new developments. Furthermore, the source does not provide a statement from the data center industry or the developers who might be affected by such a restriction.
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