SEPT 5, 2024 | NEWS | By Brett LeVan
For three consecutive nights, Colorado native band OneRepublic performed at the new Colorado Springs Ford Amphitheatre for the venue’s opening weekend. Since OneRepublic’s opening performances, the City of Colorado Springs has received about 900 noise complaints from local residents.
The noise complaints are hardly a surprise. Last September, the Northside Neighbors Association and Michael Kuhl, a Colorado Springs resident filed a complaint seeking to permanently stop the venue’s construction to a local Colorado Springs district court.
The complaint was dismissed by District Court Judge David Shakes stating the City Council and Planning Commission had legal rights to approve the development plan including location and parking.
Originally known as Sunset Amphitheatre, Ford Automobiles acquired the naming rights to the highly anticipated amphitheater owned by “Venu,” a live entertainment and hospitality company. The new amphitheater broke ground in July 2023, with intentions to become an “ultra-lux outdoor music venue,” according to KKTV.
“A world-class amphitheater deserves a world-class name, and no name is more iconic than Ford,” Venu Chairman and CEO, JW Roth told KKTV.
The 8,000-capacity Ford Amphitheatre is now said to be $30 million dollars over budget, according to KOAA, with a current building cost of $90 million.
The exceeded budget is due to plans for a late altercation of the venue’s original sound wall. Roth alongside the City of Colorado Springs plans to extend the eastern sound barrier from two feet to 50 feet to combat the noise pollution.
During a joint meeting, reported by KKTV, with Mayor Yemi Mobolade, City Council President Randy Helms, Roth and Venu President and Chief Operating Officer Bob Mudd, Venu and the City of Colorado Springs addressed the complaints with the following statement:
“Together, we are committed to addressing the experience of residents who have shared concerns about Ford Amphitheater… mitigation requirements following the first three weeks of operation have been confirmed to be in compliance with commitments. Nevertheless … we identified short and long-term strategies that aim to reduce unintentional impact on our community.”
The meeting with Venu included their commitment to increase the existing sound wall as well as a commitment to no fireworks, except on Independence Day.
Residents have been filing complaints since the venue’s ’soft open’ to a smaller crowd of investors on Aug. 6, according to Venues Now.
“The concern is if this is really what it’s going to be, the property prices are going to go down and nobody wants to buy a house here,” TJ Oza, a resident who lives near Ford Amphitheatre told KKTV,
In an interview with the Denver Post, Roth said, “I am in no way dismissive of people’s concerns…But when we made the decision to build this and started the process with the city, 50 or so residents hated the idea of it being there. So I’m guessing those same 50 people put the opening date on their calendar and circled it so they could call in and complain about the noise.”
During a recent City Council meeting held on Aug. 27, a lifelong resident of Colorado Springs and a stay at home mother of two who lives near Ford Amphitheater expressed deep annoyance with Roth’s comments.
“What my family and neighbors are experiencing is far from reasonable. Not only can we hear the performance loud and clear outside our home, we are able to hear the concert inside our home with the TV on,” she said.
During the opening weekend performances by OneRepublic, there were more than 100 noise complaints filed, however, “Venu says the average noise levels during performances have been under 100 decibels, which is less than the 105-decibel limit imposed by the City of Colorado Springs,” according to KOAA News5.
According to KOAA News5, District 5 Colorado Springs Council Member Nancy Henjum originally voted to approve Ford Amphitheater but now says she “has regrets about her decision.”
She believes the venue still needs to take further steps in decreasing noise levels in surrounding neighborhoods. “Trust has really been broken here with the City Council, with the city administration, previous, current, and we have to start looking at, how do we repair that trust?” said Henjum.
The Colorado Springs Gazette reported attorneys presented opening arguments to a three-judge Colorado Court of Appeals panel arguing that Colorado Springs ignored state noise law. JW Roth said in a newsletter that he plans to speak at the Sept. 10 Colorado Springs City Council meeting “to discuss the vibrancy and cultural impact that Ford Amphitheater has brought to our city.”