The revised architectural plan for the future amphitheater at the east end of the Downtown Mall got the green light from the Charlottesville Board of Architectural Review last night after months of reworking and detail clarification.
The BAR passed a motion to approve the current plans for the amphitheater at a special meeting requested by the project's architects from FTL Design Engineering Studio and Donna Walcavage Landscape Architecture and Urban Design.
However, the BAR has requested that the architects provide additional plans and alternatives pertaining to railings, lighting and the final coordination of design elements.
Architects originally submitted a plan for the new amphitheater to the BAR in June.
"Pieces of the plan were okay," BAR Chair Joan Fenton said. "However, there were parts that needed more detail."
Amphitheater architects submitted a revised plan to the BAR on Sept. 21 and received a similar response.
"The board approved the plan's concept," Fenton said. "The applicant did not bring a lot of details."
BAR members expressed concern over railings, topiary plantings, construction materials and a very large retaining wall included in the plan.
"The Board was concerned with how they will look and fit into Downtown," Fenton said.
Since the Sept. 21 meeting, members of the BAR met individually with members of the amphitheater's architectural team.
"We tried to respond to the comments we got from the BAR," said Lula Blackwell-Hafner of the Donna Walcavage architectural firm.
Board members said they were pleased with the progress made since the last proposal submission.
Revisions to the plan presented last night focused on the transition from the historic Downtown Mall area to the new amphitheater facility and the selection of materials for the project.
Although the applicants for the amphitheater approval have made several presentations to the BAR without receiving authorization, projects of comparable size typically take longer to approve, Fenton said.
"On a project this size you would expect to have someone come back a lot of times because there are so many details," Fenton said. "It's not unusual."
Last night's approval of the amphitheater plan will allow work on the project. However, it will take the developer four weeks to clear and ready the site for construction, said Bill Letteri, chief of facilities for the City.
Completion of the project is set for April or May.
The amphitheater will be able to hold 4,500 people. Coran Capshaw, the manager of the future amphitheater and manager of the Dave Matthews Band, intends to schedule 40 concerts a year. The rest of the time the facility will be open to the public as a park, Fenton said.
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