“Tokyo Review 030” Shinjuku area-6
Shinjuku TOKYU MILANO Project – New type of the Urban Regeneration Special Purpose Zone
According to the Nikkei Shimbun dated May 9, 2018, a joint project of Tokyu Corporation and Tokyu Recreation Co.,Ltd. is currently underway on the Urban Revitalization Special District in Kabuki-Cho 1-chome district. A forty-storey tall building with a height of 225m will be built, containing a luxury hotel, a 5,800 square meters cinema complex with 8 screens, 3,300 square meters theater with 850 seats and a 3,200 square meters live hall with capacity of 1,500 persons, all of which are vertically stacked. The project had been approved by the Tokyo Metropolitan City Planning Authority on June 21, 2018.
The planning area had been mainly used for a cinema theater called Shinjuku Milano-Za and a bowling alley called Milan Bowl. Those have already been demolished and are currently VR Zone Shinjuku is open for temporary use. The complex building by this “Shinjuku TOKYU MILANO Project” will be built in the back of the”Cine City Plaza” which had been created on the west side of “Shinjuku Toho Building” with Godzilla’s head. The podium contains some stores and restaurants and the exterior wall of it is covered by a large outdoor display facing the plaza. In addition there is an outdoor stage underneath it. The whole facility can be described as a special purpose building for entertainment.
So far, most examples using the scheme called “Urban Revitalization Special District” have great amount of offices, but this Kabuki-Cho 1-chome project has no offices, presenting an unprecedented type of the scheme. The theme of the development is to create a new urban tourism base, which is the core of the town and an airport limousine bus stops will also be equipped on the first floor.
The construction is scheduled to be completed in 2022, which will make the total number of cinema screens in Shinjuku to 48. I would like to introduce “Shinjuku as a Cine City” in another issue soon.
