The song remains the same with music venue’s sound of silence
Money for nothing so far, and the waiting is the hardest part
This piece is commentary and opinion.
You don’t always get what you want. Case in point, for over a year, I’ve been trying to gather information about the plans for a regionally funded live performance venue. The one that the City set in motion years ago while squirreling away $5M in COVID relief funds. Recently, in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, I asked for three things from the organization that would likely oversee the management and construction of the venue, which is proposed for the wide open spaces surrounding the Colonial Williamsburg visitors center.
If you try sometimes, you get what you need. I’m sorry to say, not in this case. The request to the Historic Triangle Recreation Facilities Authority (HTRFA) sought potential funding/budget information, a copy of a venue feasibility study and any renderings or drawings of the venue. Mostly, I still haven’t found what I’m looking for, after only getting the feasibility report.
But hey, two one out of three ain’t bad? To the best of my knowledge, the feasibility study I received was never presented publicly, though it was completed and presented to local tourism stakeholders in September last year. The assessment states that the venue could be modeled after other facilities that offer flexible indoor/outdoor designs, pairing large-scale summer events with smaller, indoor functions year round. The study asserts that the facility could serve as a major regional economic driver by generating up to 26,581 annual hotel room nights and a total economic output of $53 million, ultimately yielding over $1.5 million in new annual tax revenue for the Historic Triangle. A link to download that study is below.
Download the Live Performance Venue feasibility study:
Since the project was first approved, there’s been plenty of ch-ch-changes in the project scope and description, as well as an undermined timeline and a budget (that still hasn’t been pinned down). What began in 2021 as a simple amphitheater expanded significantly by 2024 into a 50,000-square-foot, dual-stage hybrid facility intended to seat up to 5,000 people, with projected costs potentially reaching over $30 million. Ambiguity regarding the future of the project continued in early 2025 when the city decided the project was out of reach due to budget constraints. Right now in the hazy shade of winter, it’s unclear where the project stands.
The funding set aside by the City came specifically from a Federal program called the American Rescue Plan Act passed in 2021, from which the city got $18 million (and a total of over $21 million with other funding). Like most jurisdictions, the City was given broad discretion on how to spend the Federal relief money, money, money … moneeeyyy. One of the choices recommended by a “steering committee” (mostly consisting of officials from the city, college and CW) was to build the live performance venue. At the time, city leaders envisioned the hills alive with the sound of music with plenty of shiny, happy people visiting.
Perhaps that’s what you want, what you really really want, too. Or maybe you’d be fine with seeing the day the music died, at least for this project. As for me, oh, I believe in yesterday and local leadership has had plenty of opportunities in the past to tell you what’s going on. Yet, time after time, the difficulty getting any information has been hard to handle.
Granted, these are just my feelings, nothing more than feelings. And whatever yours are about the project, more information should be available by now. Like what’s been signed, sealed, delivered or at least what’s the frequency of any actual action? But so far, their lips are sealed and we’ve all been along for the slow ride. Please humor me while I shout, shout, let it all out, with a timeline of the project and all the missed opportunities to keep the community engaged and informed.
2021 - 2023
The Williamsburg City Council held a retreat to establish an investment pool using ARPA “revenue recovery” funds and local COVID-contingency money, allocating $5 million for the design of a live performance venue (also referred to as an amphitheater).
The City initiated a “Feasibility Study for a Live Performance Venue” using the Tourism Promotion Contingency Fund. This money was given to a local organization though I have not been able to identify any report.
As part of “due diligence” research, Williamsburg City Council members fly like an eagle in pairs to tour a hybrid indoor/outdoor music venue.
The City Council appropriated a $100,000 Tourism Development Grant to the Historic Triangle Recreational Facilities Authority (HTRFA) specifically for an Entertainment Venue.
The City Council voted unanimously to forward a request to the HTRFA to officially pursue the development of a live performance venue.
2024
MEB General Contractors submitted a fee proposal to the HTRFA for $1,575,703 to complete 35% design and pre-construction services for the venue.
The HTRFA voted unanimously to approve the interim agreement with MEB General Contractors to design the live performance venue on property leased from Colonial Williamsburg.
This was the target month to issue the Interim Agreement and Notice to Proceed (NTP) to begin formal design work.
MEB hosted a Subcontractor and Supplier Outreach Event in Williamsburg to discuss contracting opportunities for both the Sports and Entertainment Center as well as the Live Performance Venue.
2025
January – June 2025: Over these six months, City ARPA Status Reports listed the “Amphitheatre” project with a full $5 million budget, but consistently showed $0 as “Obligated to Date.”
February 2025: During the City Council Budget Retreat, the city announced that the live performance venue was “out of reach this year” due to budget constraints regarding debt service.
March 2025: Despite the paused construction, the City Council passed a resolution including an additional $100,000 Tourism Development Grant award for the venue.
April 2025: At a City Council Work Session, residents addressed the proposed venue, comparing its scale to an amphitheater on Mud Island in Memphis.
August 2025: The ARPA Fund Status Report reflected a major accounting shift; the $5 million “Amphitheatre” line item was renamed to “HTRFA” and the entire balance was moved to “Obligated to Date.”
August 2025: A separate study was commissioned by Visit Williamsburg regarding the effects of mult-day events on regional tourism.
At this point, I’ve no clue what the HTRFA plans to do with $5 million of the city’s COVID relief funds. Probably not helping people with housing, food or healthcare. As far as the performance venue goes, we can’t keep thinking about tomorrow, because it may never be here. Perhaps the times they are a-changin’, but the project may eventually wind up a bittersweet symphony.
As always, if anything has changed or I got it wrong, feel free to call me, on the line, call me anytime. Look and see, if there’s a letter in your bag for me. Or just send me a message in a bottle.
(P.S. How many music puns are there in this post? (too many). Email me your best guess for a chance to win a Williamsburg Independent t-shirt.)
The writer used AI tools and several dozen original sources.
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Shouldn't this be an opinion article