Amphitheater
Description: Outdoor amphitheater with a seating capacity of 3000 to 5000 people
Cost Estimate: Updated: 4/6/09 Elmwood Park location-$14.2 million, Reserve Avenue location $21.3 million. Funding: Possible public-private partnership. City has generic funds in the Roanoke Parks and Recreation Master Plan that could be allocated toward funding the design of the amphitheater. The City will fund construction of the amphitheater.
Announced: Fall 2005
Timeframe: On June 18, 2007, City Council approved a request for proposals on the Reserve Avenue location. Six proposals on the Reserve Avenue site were submitted by the September 13, 2007 deadline. City administrators met on November 19, 2007 in a closed session to review the proposals. On April 11, 2008, the City announced that Red Light Management (Charlottesville) had been selected to develop and manage the amphitheater. A feasibility study on the Reserve Avenue location conducted by Red Light Management should be finished by Fall 2008 at a cost of $120, 000.00. On September 15, 2008, the City Council voted to authorize the city manager and city attorney to negotiate with Red Light Management to include the Elmwood Park location in their study. Feasibility studies to be released on April 6, 2009. After receiving feasibility stuides on April 6th, several City Council members indicated that they like the concept for Elmwood Park but were unlikely to move forward because of lack of funding. On July 6th, the City Council by a vote of 6 to 1 voted to move forward on the design work for the amphitheater at a cost of $1.2 million. However, on July 20th, the City Council on a 4 to 2 vote removed the amphitheater project from the City’s five-year capital improvement spending plan. In yet another reversal, the Council voted to restore funding for the amphitheater project on August 3, 2009. The first step will be a design and engineering study. A public hearing on the plans will be scheduled later this fall.
How Will It Enhance Quality of Life? Improved entertainment options.
Additional Resources: Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall is 32 years old and still thriving
http://hamptonroads.com/2008/05/ntelos-pavilion-full-promise-and-empty-seats
