Durham city officials indicated at a public meeting July 14 that their plan for a 4,000-seat downtown theater is no longer feasible. The project has been sidelined due to lack of funding and stiff opposition from the local arts community.
Philip Szostak, a Chapel Hill architect leading the project's development team, said the budget will now be scaled back from the original $42 million to about $30 million. "The 4,000-seat design has been taken off the table," he said.
The move comes as concerns about the expanding cost of the project grow.
"It is highly unlikely that we will be able to afford something that large," said Alan DeLisle, economic development director for the city. "The larger project envisioned other partners in the deal, and to the extent that those resources haven't materialized, we now have to think about how we are going to work with what we have."
The city originally asked the University for $10 million to support the development, but Duke has indicated that it will only support stage upgrades in the facility to accommodate American Dance Festival, a commitment of about $2-3 million. The proposed theater encountered difficulties in providing an adequate stage for ADF, Szostak said.
Meanwhile, many in the community remain skeptical that the multi-use facility originally planned would meet ADF's standards.
"Maybe the next step should be to start from scratch," said City Manager Marcia Conner to loud applause from the crowd of about 40 people. After the meeting, Szostak similarly noted that the development team was going to start designing anew.
The crowd, largely comprised of local artists, voiced strong criticism of the proposed events center. "We have much more relevant needs. There is not a constituency supporting this project," said Alex Kostelnik, founder of the Durham Arts and Business Coalition.
Community members called on Durham to support homegrown culture and upgrade current structures like the Carolina Theater instead of importing commercial touring acts.
"We need to work with our existing cultural resources first as a priority," said Caleb Southern, a downtown resident. "This includes better maintenance of our buildings and better marketing for existing performances and events."
The idea for a new events theater in downtown Durham was conceived several years ago in order to spur economic development near the Durham Bulls Athletic Park and to provide a new home for ADF.
In 2001, officials increased the hotel occupancy tax from 5 to 6 percent, with most of the proceeds designated for the construction of the theater. The current revenue stream has raised about $20 million, Mayor Bill Bell said. The initial $42 million plan required the difference to be raised through naming rights, operations and ancillary development.
At the meeting, the city admitted this was not realistic.
As city officials go back to the drawing board, they are faced with tight deadlines. If the City Council does not commit to the project by October of this year, the developers may lose the site to other projects. If the city does not break ground by October 2005, Durham forfeits the state funds to the Durham County Visitors Bureau, which will most likely use the money for marketing purposes instead of arts development, DeLisle said.
DeLisle indicated that he was determined to revise the project to make it work. "It is not often that the community has some resources towards a project of this nature," he said.
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