Plans to redevelop the former site of a mid-century movie theater in downtown Wilmington are advancing.

Site plans have been submitted for technical review to the city for The Bailey, a commercial building that could hold up to three tenants in a new structure on the site of the former Bailey Theater.

The theater was built in 1942 and for the most part demolished in the 1980s. All that’s left of the theater now at 20 N. Front St. is a facade that the project’s developer plans to repair and incorporate into the new structure. 

Once the city’s technical review of The Bailey plans is complete, said local architect Rob Romero, “then we can move on to the next phase, which is getting a building permit and a contractor involved.”

The city's Technical Review Committee discussion on The Bailey, which would have a footprint of nearly 4,000 square feet, had not yet been scheduled as of 1 p.m. Thursday, according to the city's project tracking website.

Property owner Stamatia “Nick” Saffo, of Global Property Holdings and Saffo Contractors, has said he estimates The Bailey could cost $1.5 million to $2 million to build.

Romero said the design of the new building saves the facade “because it’s full of history and it’s kind of neat to think about the people who used to go there.”

The Bailey proposal includes installing a simulated movie theater marquee like the one that graced the theater in its heyday. 

Saffo and Romero envision a restaurant that uses the planned rooftop deck signing on to be one of the tenants.