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The Richmond CenterStage Foundation is turning the long-vacant lot on East Broad Street downtown behind its Dominion Arts Center into a surface parking lot.

Jay Smith, a spokesman for the foundation, called the development an “interim step” for the property made possible by an anonymous donation.

Since 2010, the site has been the site of a seasonal ice-skating rink, RVA on Ice. With the parking lot in place, that no longer will be possible, said Dolly Vogt, the manager of SMG Richmond, which managed the rink in cooperation with the city.

The rest of the year, the lot, sandwiched between the federal courthouse and a Hilton hotel, has stood out as a barren question mark in the otherwise redeveloping area.

“When the market recovers more, we believe that other development could go on that property, but for now this is the best use of the property,” Smith said.

A music hall initially was planned for the site when the Thalhimers department store was demolished in 2004.

Those plans ultimately were scaled back to focus on the renovation and expansion of the Carpenter Theatre, part of the Richmond CenterStage complex that recently was renamed Dominion Arts Center.