"It is very important to maintain the integrity of the canal," Berry said. The height of the towpath was reduced from 84.5 to 83 feet above sea level, and the width of the towpath was cut from 25 to 12 feet, approximately. The width of the canal was not altered, Berry said, which avoided the need to trigger Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, which requires Federal agencies to take into account the effects of their undertakings on historic properties.

The canal is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It also is considered a wetland that is subject to review by the Army Corps of Engineers with consultation by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources under the National Historic Preservation Act, according to the Times-Dispatch.

Berry said that the lush plant growth in the canal bed was "a great opportunity we didn't expect" and that it would be saved in its entirety. "I never expected that to begin with...due to the trees, the bed of the canal had been dead for years," he said. He is looking into allowing the canal wetlands to be studied by students at Virginia Commonwealth University.

The top of the towpath has been modified many times over the years, Berry said, maintaining that the height of 84.5 included 18 inches of materials packed on top of the towpath to allow for a rail bed more than a century ago.

As we stood at the edge of Venture Richmond's property line atop the towpath, Berry showed the 18-inch difference, illustrated by the remaining rails as the towpath continues west into City of Richmond property. "An archaeologist looked at places like this to conclude the historically accurate height of the towpath before the rails were brought in," he said.

Berry discussed the history of the pre-Civil War brick wall on city property that was torn down in October 2012 as work began on the new 2nd Street connector. He defended Venture Richmond's role (or lack thereof) saying that the company that demolished the wall, Liesfeld Construction, made a mistake in their work and trespassed on Venture Richmond property in the destruction of 19 feet of the wall, which once ringed Tredegar Iron Works.

"I was accused of destroying the wall, and we had owned it for a week," he said, noting that the land had been donated by New Market. As a result, the City of Richmond is forcing Liesfeld Construction to reconstruct the wall. Berry said he'd prefer to see them pay for the gravel bike path planned for the top of the towpath that would connect Brown's Island Way with the North Bank Trail. In the current plan, the path will connect from the roadway to the edge of the Venture Richmond property, but stop at the portion of the property where the wall is to be reconstructed. The portion of the towpath on city property has dozens of large trees, roots systems, weeds and the old railroad tracks to contend with.

As for the planned annual use of the amphitheater venue, Berry said that the current plan for Tredegar Green only focuses on the three days of the Folk Festival, but that the location "could be a natural expansion area for Dominion Riverrock."

He didn't see a way that it could become a regular venue for concerts like the ones hosted at Brown's Island. "The only concerts that would work here would have to be free. There is no way to control access -- like at Friday Cheers -- so its not going to be a service facility...it doesn't have the infrastructure and security."

Tredegar Green is adjacent to the parking lot for Belle Isle, which is one of the most popular parcels of the James River Park System and the Richmond Riverfront. There have been some brief closures of the upper parking area (which is part of Tredegar Green, Venture Richmond's property) during construction, Berry said. He explained that the parking area below the CSX Viaduct is not in Venture Richmond's purview, but the organization is making an effort to improve the landscaping and design of the parking area.

Berry said Venture Richmond has worked with Nathan Burrell of the James River Park on a plan to move cut granite boulders recovered from the Tredegar Green site to line the berm that splits the upper and lower parking area for Belle Isle and install landscaping and native plants (maybe not immediately, with respect to planting season). The far east end of the gravel surfaced lower parking lot will lose the exit and a handful of parking spots (that shouldn't have been allowed due to safety concerns), according to Berry.

Venture Richmond was originally known as Richmond Renaissance, which was the organization that helped provide the pedestrian bridge under the Lee Bridge to Belle Isle, one of the more inviting and inspiring decisions made in this city that has helped to bring more recreational and tourist options in the city.

"Let's keep making connections and see where it goes," he said in reference to the growing interest in completing riverfront projects and parks, like the Brown's Island Dam Walk, Missing Link Trail and potential reuse of the James River & Kanawha Canal.