In a surprising announcement this afternoon, the Enzian Theater revealed that it has withdrawn its application for a long-planned expansion with the City of Maitland.

The "Enzian Forever" expansion would have added two new screens to the beloved theater, though there was vocal concern from nearby residents about the effect of the expansion on traffic and parking in the area.



Enzian's plan hinged on a long-term parking agreement with the neighboring Park Maitland School. But with the Park Maitland School's recent sale to "an out-of-town company," it looks like the Enzian is worried about the new owners honoring that commitment.

You can read the whole statement below:

Enzian’s Board of Directors has decided to withdraw its application for an expansion with the City of Maitland due to potential risks that would leave organization unsustainable.

“As you are aware, we have been diligently working toward Enzian’s expansion for some time, Enzian Forever. The City of Maitland’s parking code necessitated a long-term joint parking commitment from the Park Maitland School. Upon further consideration of the recent sale of Park Maitland to an out-of-town company, and after careful review and considerable discussion, Enzian’s Board of Directors determined that if Enzian moves forward with our submission to the City and is granted our approvals, we would face potentially unacceptable new risks,” said Enzian Theater’s Executive Director, David Schillhammer. “Among the risks, if the school’s new owners, or its landowners, decide at any time to redevelop their site, then we would lose the use of all the additional seating we would be building with our expansion, and would have to reduce operations below that which we have today to an unsustainable level. Therefore, we are regretfully withdrawing our application for this expansion with the City, and must abandon our current plan to better serve Maitland and our greater community.”

Allan E. Keen, Chairman of Enzian Board of Directors, said, “Enzian, its Board, staff, and the Tiedtke Family are deeply appreciative of the strong support from those of you who love Enzian and its mission, and the Board intends to work towards making the Enzian Experience even better for you, and our large base of Members and supporters. For Enzian holds a very special place as a unique and highly valuable community asset, one that will continue to serve our Members and film-loving Central Floridians for years to come."

There's no word at this point as to what this means for the estimated $5 million in funding that the Enzian worked hard to secure over the past several years.

This is a developing story and we'll update this post when more information is available.