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Michael
Middleton, had been assaulted in a local in a grocery store. The suspect was apprehended, booked and then released on bail. In early March 1973, an injunction was issued directing the drive-in to shut down, but was addressed incorrectly to 8700 Rosemary, and hence the drive-in remained open. Neighbors, however, attempted to create a blockade around the drive-in using their cars. Later that March a correctly addressed injunction was delivered to the drive-in, shutting it down until yet unmet conditions of the original zoning variance were met. These conditions, however, only ordered the drive-in to install curbs and sidewalks. The drive-in reopened in May after reaching a settlement. The driven-in stopped showing X-rated films and the projectionist, Paul Rabe, became the new manager.
221:. The neighborhood, that was initially enthusiastic about the new drive-in, was disappointed with this turn of events. Drivers passing by were said to be distracted the by the X-rated films. A fence was erected around the roof of a nearby school to prevent students from climbing to the top of the building at night to watch the X-rated films. To address these issues, the drive-in first tried to build a fence measuring 30 feet (9.1 m) high around the perimeter of the property, but were denied by local authorities. A similar effort to hang a large light screen around the property draped from tall poles was also rejected by the county. In November 1972, Cory explained to court authorities that he had sold the drive-in to Olympic Drive-In Theatres of St. Louis.
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Planned Unit
Development (PUD) will need to be changed. As zoned in 1971, the PUD only allowed for a drive-in theater and a single-family residence. The zoning will need to be changed from that PUD to an I-1: Light-Intensity Industrial District, which is a general commercial and industrial area zoning. Should a zoning variance be allowed, Chicago-based developer First Industrial Realty Trust, will build a warehouse on the land that is now used for the 88 Drive-In. This was discussed again at the June 5th meeting of Commerce City city council.
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adjacent to the drive-in, 88th Avenue and
Rosemary Street, represent two of the major thoroughfares in the Irondale neighborhood, making congestion there especially problematic for people driving through the area. Commerce City authorities argued that the traffic congestion created a problem for emergency response vehicles, and that the theater's management didn't sufficiently monitor customer's consumption of alcohol and marijuana while they were in their cars.
238:, and it was later sold to the family that continues to own it as of June 2023. The buyer was Bill Holshue, who was also the manager of Lake Shore Drive-In in Lakewood. At this time it was renamed 88 Drive-In. Bill and Margaret Holshue would later pass ownership of the 88 Drive-In to their daughter, Susan Kochevar.
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In a 2010 article, Kochevar explained that the drive-in was still was buying movies on film to show on their existing film projector, however the industry technology was shifting towards digital projectors. She estimated a suitable digital projector would cost $ 80,000 (equivalent to $ 111,778 in
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printed a statement
Kochevar and her associates had given directly to the magazine. The statement explained that it was a difficult decision for them to sell the drive-in, and that the property had already been under contract for 18 months. They added that they felt the best use for the land would
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However in March 26, 2024, the 88th Drive-in
Instagram announced they will open for the 2024 season, countering 2023 report's. On March 28th Commerce City spokesperson Travis Huntington state the reason was that the company, First Industrial Realty Trust, withdrew the application before the city
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Kochevar responded that
Commerce City was trying to hold her responsible for changing people's driving habits rather than improving roads, noting that in the prior 40 years of operation this had never been raised as an issue before. Kochevar would later bring a petition to Commerce City officials
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That same year, Kochevar was contacted multiple times by local law enforcement and other
Commerce City authorities regarding the amount of traffic generated by cars entering and exiting her theater. In July 2014, a letter was issued threatening to suspend or revoke her business license. The roads
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At the May 18th, 2023 meeting of the
Commerce City Planning Commission, it was announced that Susan Kochevar "...is ready to leave the movie theater business." At the meeting, developers proposed replacing the drive-in with a large warehouse. For the warehouse construction to proceed, its zoning
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Under new management, on
February 11 of the following year, a bomb was detonated at the drive-in's concession stand. The blast opened a 12-inch hole in the wall and created $ 1500 worth of damages (equivalent to $ 10,295 in 2023). Earlier in the day prior to the explosion, the new manager,
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could hold a final vote on the rezoning. As of now, there are no other applications to buy the property. Then on May 10th, the 88th Drive-in officially reopened for the 2024 season. As of June, 2024, it is unknown if the 88th Drive-in will be open for future seasons.
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Following a successful neighborhood petition for a zoning variance, East 88th Avenue Drive-in opened in August 1971. It was one of three theaters established by Paul Cory, who had also operated the
Starlite Drive-In in
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88 Drive-In would open for the new season in April 2015 with a new digital projector and a 40 feet (12 m) high by 70 feet (21 m) wide screen, and no further threats of disruption from Commerce City.
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be to be redeveloped as a warehouse. Due to the growth of the city around the drive-in property, she explained, it is no longer an ideal location due to light and noise pollution.
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The drive-in changed ownership two more times, first to EMW Management of Houston that would later sell it to Steve Eisner of
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297:. 88 Drive-In remained open through most of their normal 2020 and 2021 seasons, with reduced capacity of 250 cars per night.
293:, Colorado experienced renewed interest and attendance at drive-ins as, among other features, they had room to accommodate
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2023). By 2014 it became clear that she would need to purchase a digital projector to continue operating the drive-in.
514:"X-Rated Films, Arson And Daylight Saving: Author Talks About The Complicated History Of Colorado's Drive-In Theaters"
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https://www.westword.com/news/metro-denver-last-drive-in-theatre-replacement-plans-cancelled-20209273
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showing more than 12,000 signatures of people supporting her in keeping the drive-in operational.
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217:. The 1971 season was reportedly unprofitable, and in 1972 the drive-in began showing
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https://www.denverpost.com/2024/05/08/88-drive-in-theatre-returns-2024-denver-movies/
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629:"House Candidate Susan Kochevar is Starring in a Drama Over Her 88 Drive-In Theatre"
984:"The 88, Metro Denver's Last Drive-In, Wants to Close to Make Room for a Warehouse"
825:"88 Drive-In Theatre Kicks Off Another Season With a New Digital Projection System"
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654:"Could Commerce City Shut Down 88 Drive-In, Metro Denver's Last Drive-In Theater?"
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956:"Metro Denver's last drive-in theater is closing to make room for a warehouse"
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in April 1974. In January 1976 a classified ad for the drive-in was placed in
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262:, at the time, become the Republican nominee for state House District 29, in
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457:"Family holds strong to Denver metro area's last drive-in movie theater"
597:"88 Drive-In Theatre faces off with Commerce City over traffic tie-ups"
775:"KOCHEVAR vs MICHAELSON for HD30: A focus on business and gun control"
800:"88 Drive-In Theatre Offers Unique Family Fun at Blockbuster Price"
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704:"Commerce City drive-in theater battles the city over parking lot"
729:"Susan Kochevar to represent Republicans in Jeffco House 29 race"
339:"A guide to 2023's drive-in movie theaters in Denver and beyond"
429:"Historic Irondale neighborhood is the focus of major upgrades"
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Before the evening of the June 5, 2023, city council meeting,
928:"Iconic Drive In Theatre In Colorado To Close After 50 Years"
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679:"Last drive-in theater in metro Denver fights to stay open"
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875:"The Renaissance of Drive-in Movie Theaters in Colorado"
567:"Denver's last drive-in theater in danger of going dark"
489:"The show may not go on for Commerce City's 88 Drive-In"
546:"Don't 86 the 88 Drive-In Theatre for too much traffic"
266:. She ran unsuccessfully against Democratic incumbent
899:"Plan the Perfect Date at a Drive-In Movie in Denver"
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274:. In 2018 she had moved closer to the drive-in and
850:"The 9 drive-in theaters to celebrate in Colorado"
391:Kilgore, M.; Briggs, J.B.; Mitchell, K.J. (2020).
749:"Susan Kochevar, candidate for House District 30"
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16:Drive-in theater in Commerce City, Colorado, US
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544:Carroll, Meredith Cohen (2014-08-08).
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397:. Neon Jukebox. pp. 64–66.
191:in the Irondale neighborhood of
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1066:1971 establishments in Colorado
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652:Roberts, Michael (2014-08-04).
276:ran for state House District 30
873:Farnell, Shauna (2020-06-11).
848:Terrones, Terry (2020-06-12).
773:Snowdon, Quincy (2018-10-12).
565:Mitchell, David (2014-06-27).
487:McKinley, Carol (2023-06-04).
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427:Scoville, Alex (2011-11-15).
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954:Finley, Bruce (2023-06-05).
753:Northglenn Thornton Sentinel
727:Aguilar, John (2014-07-09).
595:Aguilar, John (2014-08-04).
455:Whaley, Monte (2010-08-28).
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982:Perez, Chris (2023-06-05).
823:Davies, Bree (2015-04-24).
702:Morris, Sara (2014-08-03).
627:Davies, Bree (2014-08-07).
512:Nick, Stacey (2021-03-16).
337:Wenzel, John (2023-05-12).
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677:Bowman, Jon (2014-08-05).
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185:East 88th Avenue Drive-In
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926:Rob, Big (2023-06-02).
804:Mile High on The Cheap
280:Dafna Michaelson Jenet
278:and lost to incumbent
1033:Retrieved 2024-06-06.
1021:Retrieved 2024-06-06.
1009:Retrieved 2024-06-06.
798:Bryan (3 June 2023).
394:Drive-Ins of Colorado
260:Westminster, Colorado
903:River Beats Colorado
230:Scottsdale, Arizona
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854:The Denver Gazette
493:The Denver Gazette
215:Sterling, Colorado
90:39.855°N 104.898°W
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779:Sentinel Colorado
404:978-1-7333655-3-6
301:Potential closure
295:social distancing
291:COVID-19 pandemic
268:Tracy Kraft-Tharp
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181:88 Drive-In
93: /
81:104°53′53″W
68:Coordinates
20:88 Drive-In
1060:Categories
993:2023-06-05
965:2023-06-05
937:2023-06-04
909:2023-06-04
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324:References
183:(formerly
170:.88drivein
78:39°51′18″N
235:Boxoffice
156:Paul Cory
153:Architect
988:Westword
829:Westword
658:Westword
633:Westword
312:Westword
127:500 cars
123:Capacity
117:Drive-In
203:History
187:) is a
161:Website
48:Address
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197:Denver
137:Opened
208:1970s
106:Owner
60:80022
932:KKPL
708:KDVR
683:KDVR
571:KDVR
518:KUNC
399:ISBN
172:.net
114:Type
168:www
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
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