Curtain goes up on movie theater.

The Shops at Atlas Park is rapidly leasing up what will be New York City's first-ever lifestyle retail center, a much-anticipated 400,000-square-foot retail and office project in the Glendale section of Queens. On the heels of the project's official groundbreaking in late September, and with commitments from several noteworthy retailers in place, Regal Cinemas has signed a 15-year, 32,500-square-foot lease to become the center's entertainment anchor.

The eight-screen theatre, to be called "Regal Cinemas Atlas Park Stadium 8," will boast plush all-stadium seating, large auditoriums with a total of 1,641 seats, a state-of-the art sound system and a magnificent circular lobby adorned with hand painted murals. The cinema is a pivotal architectural and structural element for the center, integrating the project's 700-car covered parking garage with the second and third levels of its first building.

"The quality of shops, restaurants and services that our leasing team is currently negotiating with will greatly enrich the retail shopping experience available to the 128,500 households earning in excess of $75,000 living within 3.5 miles of the center," says Damon Hemmerdinger, the project's development director. "In addition to Regal Cinemas, we look forward to bringing other spectacular retailers to The Shops at Arias Park, and are currently in advanced discussions with several well-known names that have never before had a presence in Queens."

Upon its opening in Spring 2006, The Shops at Atlas Park will offer an exciting mix of men's, women's and children's apparel, jewelry, shoes, fashion accessories, housewares, gourmet foods and a variety of charming cafes, bistros and restaurants housed in a carefully conceived mix of new and historically renovated buildings. The architectural character of The Shops at Atlas Park has been created to position the project as a fresh and exciting part of a very established series of prosperous neighborhoods.

Located at 8000 Cooper Avenue, at the intersection of 80th Street, The Shops at Atlas Park will sit on a 12-acre tract of land surrounding a 2.5-acre heavily landscaped Ellipse Park.

The project also encompasses two other outdoor public spaces and a 1,000-square-foot cafe pavillion.

Altogether, The Shops at Arias Park will consist of eight buildings housing retail shopping, and office space. In total, the site will feature 60 stores, restaurants, offices, and services in 400,000 square feet of space, and 1,600 covered parking spaces.