PETER BLASL FILE PHOTO | An aerial view taken from a fire truck lift shows destruction to the former UA movie theater after a fire in October 2007.

An unnamed “national developer” is planning to purchase the former United Artists Movie Theater in Coram and is interested in building a mixed-use downtown center, Brookhaven Town Supervisor Mark Lesko announced Monday.

This is the first new proposal announced since Mr. Lesko unveiled his “Blight to Light” initiative last April.

Redeveloping the defunct movie theater, located between Route 112 and Middle Country Road, has been a “top priority,” Mr. Lesko said, and it ranks among other “monuments of blight,” such as the former Shoreham Power Plant and the former Kmart store in Middle Island.

The “Blight to Light” program aims at reducing the number of abandoned commercial properties in the town by offering builders tax incentives and an expedited approval process to develop walkable mixed-use communities.

Mr. Lesko said that while he hasn’t seen the proposed plan, the developer — who Mr. Lesko declined to name — is interested in building a pedestrian-friendly downtown that would give the community a “main street feel.”

“It could be the most exciting thing to happen for the Coram community in decades,” he told members of the Coram Civic Association at its monthly meeting.

The parcel is also a key piece of the Middle Country Road Land Use Plan, which identifies it as an ideal location for a hamlet center.

Coram Civic president Erma Gluck said the redevelopment of that parcel couldhelp fix one of the community’s biggest problems.

“It has been an eye sore for a long time,” Ms. Gluck said.

Civic members requested the removal of the decrepit UA signage while development talks continue. Mr. Lesko said he would relay that request when he meets with the builder on Wednesday.

He said the plan includes both residential and commercial development and will be introduced to the community once the builder finishes talks with Bretton Woods, which owns a sewer treatment plant the new development would hook up to.

“This could be a significant moment for the Coram community,” Mr. Lesko said. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed.”

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