Va. Shed Moves Forward

A natural amphitheatre that would hold 8,000-10,000 people along the James River in Richmond, Va., has been endorsed, at least in concept, by the city’s planning commission.

Richmond Planning Commission members say the proposal approved Sept. 16 offers a chance to restore a neglected part of the city’s river transit system. 

Opponents worry construction would damage the historic canal. Venture Richmond wants to use the amphitheater for the annual Richmond Folk Festival, which next year loses its main stage at its present riverfront location.

The proposed 4.5-acre site faces the city’s War Memorial, and is bisected by a portion of the historic Kanawha Canal – envisioned by George Washington in the 1780s – that would have to be slightly narrowed, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

The project’s final design must be approved by a committee and the planning commission, according to the paper.