Last May, Marcus Theatres Corp. announced plans for a new theater and entertainment complex for the East side of Madison, Wisconsin, to replace the aging Marcus Eastgate Cinemas.

In November, those plans hit a snag when the Madison Plan Commission raised questions about parking, traffic and layout of the development. The associated delay threatened the originally planned opening of the complex in late 2009.

The Wisconsin State Journal is now reporting that the Madison City Council approved the project on Tuesday, clearing the way for construction to begin.

Normally, Marcus takes about six months to build a movie theater once they break ground, so if this were just a simple movie theater project, the late 2009 opening could still be a reality. However, since the project involves a sports bar and a bowling alley, it's likely to take longer. The Marcus Majestic in Waukesha, Wisconsin, which features two UltraScreen auditoriums, a live venue auditorium, a lounge, and two specialty dining vendors, took about 10 months from ground-breaking to grand opening.