Former cinema in Derry to become warehouse
May 3—The abandoned Five Star Cinema building in Derry will be redeveloped as a warehouse and distribution facility for C.H.I. Overhead Doors.
The project approved by the planning board last month also includes the addition of a 3,000-square-foot loading dock and 10,000-square-foot warehouse at 10 Ashleigh Drive for future expansion. C.H.I is a national dealer of commercial and residential garage doors.
The cinema closed after it showed its last movie on Oct. 9, 2019. The existing building is 46,000 square feet.
C.H.I. Overhead Doors plans to keep the facade of the building.
The new loading dock will include positions for six tractor-trailers, Keith Curran of Bohler Engineering told the planning board.
The traffic to the site is greatly reduced.
"This use has a lot less trips than a cinema does," Curran said. "There will be less traffic on the roads and accessing the site."
The developer requested several waivers including lighting and landscaping requirements.
Allen J. Mello, co-owner and vice president of Allen Mello Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Nashua, purchased the 10-acre property from Toronto, Ontario-based Slate Asset Management for $1.4 million in December 2020.
Mello said C.H.I. Overhead Doors will operate the entire building.
"I'm glad to see that void is finally going to be filled in," said board Chairman John O'Connor.
A previous deal to sell the property to another cinema chain, Apple Cinemas based in Walpole, Mass., fell through. Apple Cinemas has bought and now operates two former Cinemagic Cinemas theaters in Hooksett and Merrimack.
