Thanks for the comments/suggestions. I'm getting ready to put together the movie theater and children's entertainment center buildings on the other side of the canal, so may snap off some shots for more input. The original residential lot was 40 x 30, but I placed it on a 40 x 40 lot for more room in front and back.

Comment on my thought process: I thought it would be natural for a kid hangout to be near a sweet shop. It may not make sense to anyone but me, but around here, the commons/green (or square, as we call it) in rural towns usually have one contiguous building that spans the whole block on each side of the square. The larger buildings are then partitioned off into small businesses. For example, a theater may share space with a diner, an arcade, a hardware store, and a gas station at the end of the block facing the next block.

As I pondered how to design the kids theater on the Dutch conversion, that idea bloomed into a new creation: design an entire large lot (64 x 64) similar to a theme park, like Disney Land. I'll place it at the end of the Pinochle Point subdivision. I just happen to have a cathedral that I plan to flip into something resembling the Magic Kingdom Castle. Too bad there aren't many games for kids available in the Sims 3, so I'll try to do some of my own: a waterslide? I'll snap off shots of it as I go...

I already have one community lot there (La Grosse Cloche was what I downloaded; it lays on top of rabbitholes for a suburban bistro, market, theater, and spa.) Does anyone remember the Snooty Patooties from Sims 1? They would love it out here.

Also in response to fredbrenny's question about the fog emitter under the chocolate fountain in the sweet shop. I changed the command to "waterspout" so a small shoot of water should jump out of the top of the fountain.

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go....

EDIT: Hey, I forgot about the theme park. Now that I know how to use more cheats and WA effects, I need to start working on that again!