A potential 1,000-seat amphitheater near the intersection of Avenida La Pata and Calle Saluda remains in play after City Council agreed to keep it on the table Tuesday.

Officials approved a three-year extension of their exclusive negotiating agreement with the Association for the Amphitheater, a local nonprofit that proposed the project in 2008.

The $4- to $5-million project would sit on 20 acres of city-owned open space, said project chairman Dick Dickey. He said the organization was in the midst of coming up with a new business plan to raise the money, and expected to start environmental and engineering work within a few months.

Dickey said the first $100,000 would take care of the initial design and planning work, and then the association would "start working on the big money."

He indicated that might agree to be a partner in the effort--the store just opened near where the amphitheater site would be.

The current negotiating agreement runs out Nov. 18. The extension would give the city and the association more time to hash out potential lease details as the group continues to raise funds, according to a city staff report.

In 2008, the initial idea met with mixed reviews from Talega residents worried about noise and traffic, according to the Register.

"The land is correctly zoned where they are," said City Manager George Scarborough. "There are issues that will have to be dealt with, but we're not there yet."

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