Amphitheater lease agreement on verge of being finalized
Fayette County Commissioner Ronald M. Nehls announced Tuesday that a lease agreement with Fayette Films LLC is finally on the verge of being finalized for the Great Meadows Amphitheater site. The company plans to use the dormant Wharton Township site as a movie production studio and tourist attraction. Nehls, who has worked closely with Fayette Films in an effort to bring them into the county, said during Tuesday’s agenda meeting that only six minor changes to the document remain outstanding. He said the changes mostly deal with legal language.
Initially Fayette Films planned to lease or purchase the entire acreage, but circumstances have limited the initial lease to the 6.1 acres that include the 1,500-seat outdoor venue as well as surrounding buildings.
Although the deal may soon be signed, Nehls said time is absolutely of the essence.
“We better do it now or they’re gonna bolt,” he said. Fayette Films first submitted a proposal in July and the county voted to accept it in August.
Since that time, numerous issues have arisen regarding the property. Although the 6.1 acres on which the amphitheater sits are owned free and clear by the county, an additional 120-plus acres are encumbered by deed restrictions that can only be lifted through legislation from the state government.
Additionally, the superintendent of neighboring Fort Necessity Battlefield has voiced opposition to the proposal. Millionaire philanthropist Robert E. Eberly also sent a letter to State Sen. Richard Kasunic stating that he is against lifting the deed restrictions.
The county has been working with Larry Williamson of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in an effort to include language in the lease agreement that will save the county from liability. The DCNR must agree to legislation to lift the restrictions before the governor approves it. If development occurs on the surrounding property before the deed restrictions are lifted, fines could total more than $900,000. The deed restrictions limit the use of the property to recreation, conservation or historical.
Nehls said Jason Thomas, a principal partner in Fayette Films and a movie studio developer, has been working on the proposal all year and has missed out on six television series’ and numerous documentaries and films since that deal has been stalled. Nehls said Thomas has been looking at other potential sites.
When discussions began, concerns were site lines and unsightly development. Some of the resolved issues include a 50-foot height limitation on buildings, a 50-foot no build buffer zone and preservation of the Braddock Trail. The revised lease includes a provision that if the deed restrictions are ultimately lifted, Fayette Films has the first shot at leasing or purchasing the additional acreage.
The terms include rental of $3,400 per month for the first 12 months and $6,600 per month for the remaining 48 months of the lease.
“I think we’re in good shape. I hope they sign and accept it,” Nehls said.
In addition to the outdoor amphitheater, the 6.1 acres includes an admission building, two rain shelters, a dressing room building, and a prop-shop. The other commissioners, Vincent A. Vicites and Sean M. Cavanagh, agreed to look at the agreement in anticipation of today’s meeting.