Plans for apartments bring Cinderella drive-in to end of road

Lynn Bartels, Rocky Mountain News

Published September 28, 2007 at midnight

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The Cinderella Twin Drive-In Theatre, a fixture in Sheridan for nearly 35 years, is about to become nothing more than a fond memory.

The Sheridan City Council voted 3-2 Wednesday to allow a 316-unit apartment complex to be built on the drive-in property.

The Cinderella will show movies tonight and Saturday, and then it will close. "It's definitely a bummer," said Jim Goble, president of the company that operates the drive-in. "A part of Denver's culture is going away."

Bruce Leiman was a teenager in 1972 when his father built the drive-in, and then leased it to a company to operate.

"Imagine going to the drive-in with a date and getting in for free," he said, with a laugh. "That got me a lot of Brownie points."

Leiman said Thursday that he was involved in discussions in the 1990s about selling the property, but they fell through.

"The drive-in has always had a soft spot in our hearts," he said.

"But it's boiling down to a business decision. The ground has gotten so valuable it doesn't make sense to keep it as a drive-in anymore."

The sale of the land is expected within 60 days.

During hearings on the project, some residents decried tearing down the drive-in.

But a number of nearby property owners favored the development, citing traffic problems at the drive-in, said Ted Blanchard, community development director for the city of Sheridan.

Goble said customers have wondered for some time: "Is this the last year?"

It turned out 2007 is the last.

bartels@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5327

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