Owners of Traverse City’s outlet mall and Carmike Cinemas confirm to The Ticker that a new, 14-screen multiplex will be proposed to Garfield Township officials later this week, ending months of speculation about what tenant might end up there.

The proposed new theatre would be a presumed anchor in the redevelopment of the entire center located on US-31 South.

The theatre will be built on the site now housing Old Navy, Dance Arts Academy, and a few other stores. That section and one-third of the “middle” section of the outlet center will be demolished to make way for the new, 60,000 square foot facility. The center as currently configured includes 154,000 total square feet of retail space.

The center is owned by TC Center Partners LLC, led by Managing Partner Anmar Sarafa of Bloomfield Hills. Sarafa’s cousin Joe Sarafa serves as the owner’s representative on-site and met with The Ticker Monday. He says the theatre is the first of what he hopes will be many new tenants as the center is redeveloped.

“The vision is that this will be some place where you can workout, grab a cup of coffee, and then go to work, or a place where you can do some shopping and grab some drinks, or a place for dinner and a movie. Ultimately it will be an entertainment/shopping/dining complex, but this will be in multiple phases over multiple years.”

It's also expected that a portion of the 33-acre parcel will be donated to Garfield Township for new trails to connect to existing trail networks and the new YMCA.

The center has seen better days. Opened in 1992 as Horizon Outlet Mall, it has undergone several owners since, and was purchased at auction by TC Center Partners LLC in November 2012. Jerry Snowden, who was referenced in The Ticker’s October story, no longer represents the property.

The proposed redevelopment will follow the Planned Unit Development (PUD) process, which officials say could take 3-5 months. Part of that process is a public hearing on the project, likely to take place in March.

But developers are very optimistic about the reception of their plan, given the “obsolescence and blight” of the site's current state, not to mention the presumed job creation and boost in the township’s tax base.

If the process goes as planned, work would begin this spring, with an anticipated opening of summer 2015.

Columbus, Ga.-based Carmike already owns and operates theatres at Grand Traverse Mall and the outlet mall. Upon opening, the new, 14-screen theatre will replace the 10-screen Horizon Cinemas across the parking lot; no word has been issued regarding the GT Mall location.

Though the entire venue is expected to feature “state of the art” amenities and stadium seating, the main attraction will be the single “BigD” screen, which spans 79 feet wide by three stories tall; it’s Carmike’s version of IMAX, and Traverse City will be only the 21st BigD screen in the U.S.

Sarafa says ownership is mulling a name change for the entire center, and encourages Ticker readers to voice their ideas via comments on this story (they’re leaning toward local references, given that the site is a former buffalo farm near Kid’s Creek).

Carmike will have preferred vendors to lead construction efforts, but Sarafa says he will seek local subcontractors. Traverse City’s Doug Mansfield has already been working on the project as planning consultant, surveyor, and engineer.