Raley Field amphitheater plan may get rolling again
Sacramento Bee
http://www.sacbee.com/ourregion/story/2185842.html
Wednesday, Sep. 16, 2009
Stalled plans for a new amphitheater at Raley Field in West Sacramento could be rolling again.
The amphitheater, with seating for 3,000 to 3,500, would adjoin the River Cats' ballpark on 1.5 acres wedged between right field and Third Street.
Raley Field, home to the Triple A baseball team, has submitted plans for a building permit, according to West Sacramento's Community Development Department.
The organization has no timeline for construction yet, according to a team spokesman. When the venue was first proposed two years ago, the opening was tentatively targeted for March this year.
"Our plans were always tentative," said Gabe Ross, the spokesman. "We've never set a firm time."
The team still plans to build the amphitheater and has had conversations with promoters about it, Ross said.
Amphitheater plans were submitted during the summer for a building permit but haven't yet been approved, said David Tilley, a senior planner with West Sacramento Community Development. If the plans are approved and the permit is issued, grading could begin before the rainy season, he said.
"We fully expect them to proceed," Tilley said.
The building permit is good for 180 days.
In the nearly 10 years since Raley Field opened, concerts on off days for the team have established it as a regional entertainment venue. Country star Willie Nelson, perennial rock favorite Lynyrd Skynyrd and local names such as the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra all have had their days on the green.
The amphitheater, with its more intimate setting, could capture a growing number of performers and tours who cannot fill 15,000 seats.
"It's something that has a lot of potential," said Gary Bongiovanni, editor in chief of Pollstar, a weekly trade publication covering the concert industry. "The conventional wisdom is there are more artists performing in the midlevel range, which is 3,000 to 8,000 seats," he said.
Ticket-buying for concerts has not suffered as brutally as other retail categories, he said. A night out at a concert could be viewed as an affordable alternative to out-of-town vacations, and concert promoters have also offered more affordable seating, such as lawn seats, Bongiovanni said.
"The small amphitheater is the one type of venue to be developed in a lot of markets. I call them the wine-and-cheese amphitheaters," he said.
The touring artists who seek smaller venues are varied enough to appeal widely, Bongiovanni said: from classic rock acts – such as former Creedence Clearwater Revival singer John Fogerty – to Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist Diana Krall and indie rock bands such as Death Cab for Cutie.
The amphitheater, which will have a covered stage, restrooms, concession stands, permanent seating and lawn seating, will share existing parking with the stadium, Tilley said.
Even though it could compete with the 4,000 seats at Memorial Auditorium in downtown Sacramento, a new amphitheater could potentially draw new business, said Mike Testa, spokesman for the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau.
"It's something new to be able to sell because people book conferences based on options available," he said.
West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon said the amphitheater would be another amenity in a broad plan to transform the city's waterfront.
Once regarded as an industrial backwater, the neighborhood is undergoing a transformation that is bringing people back to what's called the Bridge District, which means a need for better roads and sewer lines, Cabaldon said.
The city, aided by a $23 million state grant, will be making those upgrades, including raising Third Street, which now dips underneath an overpass next to the planned amphitheater site.
The amphitheater will benefit cities beyond his own, drawing visitors from the other side of the river in downtown Sacramento, Cabaldon said.
"People can walk from their hotel. It's part of the urban fabric," he said. "It fits the whole Raley Field-River Cats vibe."
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