Land for live performance venue could be subject of HTRFA closed door session
Agenda for upcoming meeting includes discussion of changes to ground lease with Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
This post is opinion and commentary
I’m not sure why information about a potential Live Performance Venue (LPV) that’s been “planned” for years is so elusive. The project, contemplated by the city and the Historic Triangle Recreation Facility (HTRFA), was put in motion years ago. A good example is when $5 million in COVID relief funds were set aside for the LPV (aka entertainment venue, amphitheater). I’m pretty sure that money was meant to be spent to help people, business etc., not hoarded until someone can build their pet project. But I digress.
One recent announcement might be an indication of pending action regarding the LPV. The HTRFA Board is expected to meet in closed session at its meeting this Wednesday, March 11, 2026. The public disclosure indicates that the topic is “amendment to ground lease”.
Perhaps the notice is referring to the lease that the HTRFA has in place with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (CWF) for the land on which the new Greater Williamsburg Sports and Event Center (GWSEC) sits. Executed in 2023, the ground lease secures an initial 13.84-acre site for the GWSEC, an $80 million facility expected to be fully operational by August, with a potential 60-year total term. But the foundation’s visitor center site has a lot more room, and the initial lease included specific provisions and options for the HTRFA to secure additional surrounding space for future projects.
And we’re back to the music venue. Back in June 2024, the HTRFA signed an interim agreement with a contractor to complete 35% of the plans for the performance venue. At the time, local leadership had big ideas, as the initial design agreement called for a 50,000-square-foot hybrid venue featuring a flexible indoor theater for 800 to 1,800 guests and an outdoor amphitheater capable of hosting over 5,000 people. These two distinct performance areas would be integrated through shared back-of-house infrastructure, including dressing rooms, concessions, and pre-function spaces.
Around the same time in June 2024, the HTRFA also announced plans to renegotiate an expansion lease with CWF for the new music venue. Depictions of the new boundaries presented to the board at that time call for the music venue to take the place of a parking lot adjacent to the GWSEC, as well as require the demolition of several buildings, including an old motel nearby.
The graphics below were presented to the HTRFA Board at a meeting in June 2024. The top graphic highlights the site of the Greater Williamsburg Sports and Events Center (GWSEC). The bottom graphic indicates that location of the proposed Live Performance Venue (LPV) as well as other land that could be available for future facilities.
One might think that given all the time and money that’s been spent (or at least committed) for this project, there would be something pretty to show for it by now. A nice drawing. Perhaps an animated flyover. One would be wrong.
I recently submitted a FOIA request to the HTRFA (through the city) asking for information related to the design of the live performance venue since June 2025. The response was that there were no files responsive to the request. I chose that date because it was when the city indicated a $5 million payment (from COVID relief funds) had been made to the HTRFA for the LPV.
Hopefully the money is collecting as much interest as dust. Of course, someone knows where the plans stand at this point, it’s just not me, though I’ll keep trying. But don’t be surprised if a headline like “HTRFA making progress on music venue with new land lease” pops up in meantime somewhere else.
The writer used AI tools and these sources among others:
Other ways to support the Williamsburg Independent:
.