The Roanoke Times: Victory Stadium

Roanoke's plan to marry an amphitheater and a stadium could be a "groundbreaking concept" or a lackluster union, according to concert promoters and arena experts. The $18 million project's proposed site - off Orange Avenue and Williamson Road and along Interstate 581 - might lack the atmosphere and views amphitheater patrons typically prefer.

"You've got a junkyard on one end and on the other side you've got what looks like a junkyard with the city's public works center," said Bill Tanger, a spokesman for Farrell Properties, whose owner - Bruce Farrell - also owns Berglund Chevrolet on Williamson Road and other property near the project site.

"It's a rough-looking site right now," acknowledged Bill Luther, a consultant on the project for the city who managed Norfolk's Scope coliseum for 14 years. "Well, every site has its challenges."

Added City Manager Darlene Burcham, "The real challenge as a planner is to close your eyes and imagine what it could become."

Bill Reid, president of Rising Tide Productions, was a developer for both the Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater and the Ntelos Pavilion at Harbor Center in Portsmouth. Reid's company manages the 6,500-seat Ntelos Pavilion for Portsmouth. Reid has not visited the Orange Avenue site. But he said an amphitheater's setting can be key.

"I think it's everything or almost everything," Reid said, noting that the 20,000-seat Virginia Beach facility features views of trees and lakes and the Ntelos Pavilion has views of the Elizabeth River and the Norfolk skyline.

Traffic flow and parking also play a major role, he said.

"People won't go back if they feel they can't get there or it takes too long to get out," Reid said.

The ideal amphitheater, he said, is "aesthetically pleasing, easy to get in and out of, and an experience that is inviting and compelling." If a proposed amphitheater won't meet those criteria, then developers might be "creating an indoor venue outdoors."

On the other hand, Reid said, if Roanoke intends for the new venue to feature fewer than 10 or so shows a year, then the amphitheater's setting probably won't matter much.

And that, it seems, is Roanoke's plan, Burcham said.

"We have never said that we are a community that could support a full-blown, full-time amphitheater," Burcham said. "We're not after being a Virginia Beach amphitheater or a Wolf Trap."

Can a stadium / amphitheater complex work?

Luther thinks so.

"I think it will be a model for some smaller communities," he said.

Reid said the concept makes sense but might require compromises.

"It can be done, but the real issue is whether the budget is enough to make it a great stadium and also make it a great amphitheater," Reid said. "Otherwise, what are the sacrifices you have to make?"

The facility is designed to seat 8,000 for football or soccer. It could seat 12,000 for an amphitheater event, and could handle as many as 20,000 people for a big festival.

John "Jack" Nicholson, president of Facility Consulting Associates in Massachusetts, was a consultant for the Ntelos Pavilion. Nicholson once worked as general manager at the Boston Garden and was an adviser for the Louisiana Superdome. He also has consulted with Roanoke officials about Victory Stadium.

Nicholson has mixed feelings about pairing a stadium and amphitheater.

"If it's the only thing that can be done, it's probably worth a try," he said. "But I don't know of any such combination. While that doesn't suggest it wouldn't work, to me it would seem to be a case of trying to make something work because it is your only alternative."

But concert promoter Ken MacDonald, formerly with Clear Channel Entertainment in Virginia Beach, described the stadium / amphitheater plan as a "groundbreaking concept." MacDonald is a consultant for the Roanoke project, working with architects to "integrate amphitheater amenities into the stadium configuration."

"I really think it is going to work," he said. "If you were in a market that could support adequate activity levels at multiple facilities, that's a great way to go. But if you're in a market the size of Roanoke, there is a certain amount of compromise that needs to come in."

However, during a February 2001 city council meeting, MacDonald - then with SFX Entertainment - told council members he probably wouldn't build such a multipurpose facility if it were his own money.

Last week, though, MacDonald said the Orange Avenue site would have interstate access and be "well-known because it is adjacent to the civic center." Although the site might not offer a bucolic setting, it provides the potential to support Roanoke businesses that an amphitheater in a rural spot might not, he said.

"Everything is a give-and-take. If you go out to the most rural and beautiful setting, you will not achieve the economic benefits of a site near downtown," MacDonald said, including providing more customers for restaurants, hotels and retail merchants.

Jon Martin, general manager for the Ntelos Pavilion, said his venue's urban setting has increased foot traffic and hotel occupancy in Portsmouth.

"You can't even get a reservation in a restaurant when we have a concert," he said.

The Ntelos Pavilion offers 3,500 covered seats. Reid said there is an industry trend toward providing covered seating for at least a portion of the crowd, which helps generate interest in corporate boxes and season-ticket sales. The Roanoke facility would not offer covered seating.

Burrell Saunders, an architect with CMSS Architects in Virginia Beach, helped design both the Virginia Beach amphitheater and the Ntelos Pavilion. The beach venue provides covered seating for 7,500. Saunders agreed covered seating is important.

"You see amphitheaters without roofs out in the western part of the country where you don't get a lot of rain," Saunders said.

"Weather can be a huge factor," said Reid.

Rising Tide Productions was a co-promoter for the "Down From the Mountain Tour" concert in August at the Roanoke Civic Center. Reid said he'd have kept the concert inside even if an amphitheater had been available because of the risk of bad weather and because the civic center offers a good venue.

"The Roanoke Civic Center has done a great job of bringing great entertainment to Roanoke. And the question really is how much more can be done."

But Burcham said contacts with promoters have assured the city its new venue can host enough shows each year to cover operating costs.

Staff Writer Todd Jackson and News Researcher Belinda Harris contributed to this story