THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 31, 1995 TAG: 9503310007
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 45 lines
The Virginia Beach amphitheater broke the sound barrier Tuesday night. City Council approved an essential permit on the condition that noise doesn't disturb the near neighborhoods. That's a boon not just for the neighbors, not just for the Beach but for the region.
This facility will accommodate 20,000 concertgoers and big-name entertainers who perform at only big-gate places. It will attract an audience from near and far for the kind of first-rank entertainment that has too long bypassed this area. It will mean more room nights for the tourism industry and more jobs in that industry and among its suppliers.
It will be one more attraction for a region that has more to offer with less travel time than most tourists know. The sooner the Beach and neighboring cities treat the amphitheater as a complement to the region's existing offerings, not competition for them, the sooner vacationers and conventioneers will, too.
Though it's not just an amenity for Beach residents, the Beach will bear most of its cost. And receive most of its revenue. After five to seven years, the city will recoup its initial investment of some $8 million in the amphitheater itself. The city's private partner will have invested some $7 million more. The city will have accelerated its multimillion-dollar investment in roads and other infrastructure. But that too should be recouped in time in increased revenues from concertgoers and businesses that supply or are drawn to the area by the am-phi-the-a-ter.
Virginia Beach Councilmen Linwood Branch and Bill Harrison deserve particular credit for shepherding this project. The process started slowly, and has quickened as it nears the end. It had to, if the amphitheater is to open next spring.
The process has gotten tougher, too. Nearby neighborhoods belatedly demanded, and belatedly got, the attention they deserved. But council's vote Tuesday, though it gave unanimous reassurance that citizens were heard, doesn't ensure that the amphitheater's a done deal. Council wants the best possible deal for Beach taxpayers. That's the deal which costs city taxpayers the least possible and still gets the amphitheater built. by CNB