The diocese withdrew the requests for a Comprehensive Plan amendment and rezoning because Bishop Felipe Estevez wanted to review the plans with his project team before moving forward, according to diocese spokeswoman Kathleen Bagg.
When asked if the bishop might cancel plans for the amphitheater, Bagg wrote in an email to The St. Augustine Record that he hasn’t made any decisions.
“It is all under review,” she wrote.
Church officials originally said they wanted to build an amphitheater next to the mission’s church on San Marco Avenue, which is near the site where St. Augustine founder Pedro Menendez de Aviles landed. The earthen structure, which was designed to be about 9 feet tall at its highest point, was planned to provide seating for visitors to the shrine for religious purposes. Church officials also said they wanted to build a parking garage on top of their existing parking lot.
But locals and residents in the area pushed back against the plans. Concerns included added congestion and noise and potential commercialization of the property, though shrine Director Joanna Stark has said any event on the site would be in keeping with the mission’s character. 
The bishop wrote in an ad in the Easter edition of The St. Augustine Record that plans for a parking garage at the site are off the table “for the foreseeable future.” In the interim, the church plans to use its green space to accommodate parking for larger pilgrimage groups.
“We are committed to being good citizens and good stewards of this historic property,” he wrote in the ad. “We join our neighbors and other members of the community to work together to find constructive solutions for the challenges and to celebrate the beauty and history of our very special city.”