By Town Crier Staff Report

A movie theater would mark downtown’s entryway if the Los Altos Youth Commission had its way. The commission unanimously agreed last week to publicly support the movie theater proposed for the city-owned lot on the corner of First and Main streets, while the Los Altos City Council mulls over whether to place a hotel or theater on the 7.3-acre site.

Commission members said a theater would better benefit local youth by providing them “something to do,” especially for those who don’t yet drive, according to a memo to the council. A hotel would benefit visitors, not Los Altos residents, the memo concluded.

“Students in town do not have enough to do. Even though there are theaters in the neighboring communities of Palo Alto and Mountain View, the commission feels that students who do not drive would benefit greatly from a theater.

“Commissioners also feel that there are no obvious benefits to youth in building a hotel at the site,” according to the memo.

The youth commission is not alone in supporting the theater. Four out of five Los Altos residents prefer a theater over a hotel, according to a telephone survey sponsored by the Los Altos Community Foundation last month.

The council is currently waiting for a financial audit of both land uses before moving forward with a decision.

A hotel would be a better financial investment for the city, according to a staff report based on a list of criteria developed by the city council earlier this year, which ranked parking and revenues as top priorities.

City staff said a hotel could bring in up to $400,000 annually in transient occupancy taxes.

A theater would only generate up to $15,000 in sales tax annually, which includes an increase in sales at other downtown businesses, according to a staff report.