THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 19, 1995 TAG: 9503170204
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY TOM HOLDEN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 194 lines
THE GRASSY FIELD is empty now, save for three men and a drilling rig they're using to punch holes in the ground. They're collecting soil samples for studies on how to build a foundation for the city's not-quite-official amphitheater.
To the north, a team of surveyors conduct topological studies, mapping the slight variations in ground height along a tract that in 14 months could dramatically transform the city's sleepy club-based music scene.
Long a dream of city planners as a key building block to tourism, the proposed $15 million Virginia Beach amphitheater is one week away from a final vote by the City Council.
Whatever doubts remain will be aired at two public hearings this week.
The first takes place Wednesday at Landstown Elementary School where from 7 to 9 p.m. residents of Salem Lakes, the neighborhood most directly affected by the project, can stop by, see the plans, and voice concerns. The second hearing will unfold Thursday during City Councilwoman Louisa Strayhorn's monthly town meeting at 7 p.m. at Green Run High School.
Barring intense objections or unexpected legal challenges, the City Council is expected to approve the project March 28, allowing construction to begin quickly on about 80 acres.
``I envision it to be a gem, a jewel, a prized possession of the region, something that draws attention to Virginia Beach and is an icon of accomplishment,'' said Councilman W.W. ``Bill'' Harrison, who represents the Lynnhaven Borough.
Harrison is considered one of the champions of the park, which is being built in cooperation with Cellar Door Productions of Virginia Beach, the Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based company that won the right last year to promote the city's outdoor concerts.
Once completed, the amphitheater will be owned by the Virginia Beach Development Authority and leased to Cellar Door for 30 years. The city's contribution is $7.8 million; Cellar Door's is $6 million. The city expects its investment to be repaid with interest in five to seven years.
The amphitheater will have 12,500 reserved seats under a huge canopy. Spreading out behind these reserved seats will be acres of sloping lawn where patrons can spread out a blanket, eat and listen to music as diverse as America itself. Rock and pop, jazz and classical, fusion and funk all will have a place on the stage when the lights go up in the spring of 1996.
THE PROJECT HAS QUICKLY gained momentum, so much so that in an informal sampling of Salem Lakes residents last week some said they had not heard about the amphitheater. But because the project promises to bring high-profile musicians through a venue that exists nowhere in Hampton Roads, ignorance of the project is tempered with optimism.
``I wouldn't mind too much,'' said Joe Natoli, an electrician whose Salem Lakes home on Inverrary Court would be within a short drive of the arena. ``It depends on what musical groups they bring. I think Virginia Beach is a heck of a nice city that could cope with it. I don't see a problem with it as long as they can control the crowds so everyone can enjoy it.''
But a nearby neighbor, Wanda L. Mayers, who lives on Jousting Arch, was skeptical.
``I don't really approve of it,'' said Mayers, a licensed practical nurse. ``We already have enough noise. The flight path for Oceana is over here and everyone knows we have enough traffic already.''
Mayers, who said she had not heard much about the project, added glumly, ``If the city decides to do something, then they're going to do it.''
It is people like Mayers the city hopes will attend this week's public hearings because, as Councilman Harrison argues, once people see what's planned, any anxieties will melt away.
``Your first reaction is probably going to be, `Wow! I had no idea how big this would be, how colorful. I had no idea it was going to be this well designed,' '' Harrison said.
``There will be large plazas with lots of places to enjoy the experience outside the actual participation in the event itself. There will be food courts, and places to sit down with friends and enjoy music in the sunshine with friends.''
BUILDING THE AMPHITHEATER will be no small feat. Most amphitheaters are built into the ground, with a gently sloping lawn to give everyone a vantage point to watch the show. But water lurks just a few feet below the ground near Salem Lakes and any effort to dig deep would pose costly problems.
That's why the city plans to truck in untold tons of dirt, scavenged from proposed storm water retention ponds, from the site itself and other locations to create a 45-foot-high berm.
``It's going to be quite a startling land mass,'' said Jeff Griffin, of Griffin Associates, the Alexandria company working on Cellar Door's behalf to hire consultants, manage the design and oversee bidding and contracts.
``It's really an equipment drill. We'll probably move 300,000 to 350,000 cubic yards of dirt to make that hill. Your typical over-the-road dump truck handles about eight cubic yards of dirt, so we're going to have quite a few dump trucks involved.''
No final design has been shown to the public, but Griffin said the architect, William Bethman, is one of a handful in the country who designs amphitheaters.
Whatever design is selected will include a canopy that is somewhat lower than other amphitheaters to account for the potential of hurricane force winds that could sweep across the park.
Apart from providing intimacy for those customers who buy reserved seats, the roof also will help manage the sound, which has become a source of anxiety for many residents who fear being awakened late at night.
Griffin and others argue that sound will hardly be a factor.
``The closest house is 2,000 feet away,'' he explained. ``If you had a heavily amplified performance, like a hard rock band, you're going to be generating somewhere between 55 and 60 decibels. That is a normal tone of conversation. You won't be able to hum along with the song. You won't be able to tell what's being played, who's playing it or pick out the lyrics.
``You are not talking about that kind of clarity. Princess Anne Road generates a higher decibel reading than that.''
Lt. Nancy E. Heath, a helicopter pilot at Oceana Naval Air Station, serves as the base's Air Installations Compatible Use Zone officer, an unwieldy title that has her in charge of the Navy's aircraft noise monitoring office.
The air station has three classifications for areas affected by jet noise. The site for the amphitheater is in zone one, which means it's in the lowest noise zone.
``It's 65 decibels and below,'' she said. ``Sixty is conversational speech and 65 is the noise you find in a business office.''
The rating for the amphitheater was achieved by taking measurements at day and night - with 10 points added to night measurements on the assumption that any noise at night is more of a nuisance than noise at day.
``If they ask us whether the site is compatible, our position is, `Yes. It's compatible.' ''
Four other sites were considered for the amphitheater: Ocean Breeze amusement park, off General Booth Boulevard and Birdneck Road; Owl's Creek Tennis Center, adjacent to Ocean Breeze; Corporate Landing, off Dam Neck Road and General Booth Boulevard; and the Buffington property, near the municipal complex. But none generated as much enthusiasm as the former Lake Ridge property, a 1,200-acre tract of land once envisioned as a city within a city. The plan failed when the partners developing it went bankrupt, and the city bought the property in December for $9.5 million.
``This site is by far and away the best one I have looked at in terms of distances from houses and roads,'' Griffin said. ``It's an excellent amphitheater site.''
MORE THAN ANYONE, Bill Reid, president of Cellar Door of Virginia Beach, has helped persuade the City Council to act.
``The time has come for an amphitheater. I have been here almost 15 years. I feel we are knowledgeable about the market,'' Reid said. ``Cellar Door is the largest producer of live music in the country. We have seven amphitheaters. We have experience on the national and local level. Given that and our awareness of the market and the way music trends are going, this has given me more encouragement that the next phase of entertainment is an open air amphitheater. They are probably the hottest venues.''
There are several reasons, he said. First is acoustics.
``The design of amphitheaters is specifically designed for the music lover. The sight lines are fantastic,'' he said. ``It's like comparing old Met Park to Harbor Park. That building (in Norfolk) is designed to give patrons the ultimate baseball experience, from the quality of food to the construction of the building.''
Secondly, Reid said that anyone with doubts about the project need only look into Walnut Creek in Raleigh, N.C., the park upon which the Virginia Beach design is based.
``Call anyone about it and they'll tell you there is a great deal of pride in it,'' he said. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by D. KEVIN ELLIOTT
Richard Miller, left, Steve Barefoot and Vinnie Tyler of McCallum
Testing Labs dig soil samples on the site of the proposed
amphitheater. The site is part of the former Lake Ridge property, a
1,200-acre tract of land.
Illustration
This model is what the amphitheater in Virginia Beach might look
like, although final design work is incomplete.
Staff photos by D. KEVIN ELLIOTT
Larry Glover of Langley and McDonald is among a team of surveyors
conducting topological studies, mapping the slight variations in
ground height. The city plans to truck in untold tons of dirt to
create a gently sloping 45-foot-high berm that gives everyone a
vantage point of the amphitheater stage.
FOR THE IDEA: ``I think Virginia Beach is a heck of a nice city that
could cope with it. I don't see a problem with it as long as they
can control the crowds . . .''
- Joe Natoli, an electrician
AGAINST THE IDEA: ``We already have enough noise. The flight path
for Oceana is over here and everyone knows we have enough traffic
already.''
- Wanda Mayers, a nurse.
ON THE COVER:
Photo of Walnut Creek amphitheater in Raleigh, N.C. is by staff
photographer Mort Fryman
KEYWORDS: VIRGINIA BEACH CITY COUNCIL AMPHITHEATER
by CNB