Yeah I almost replied to your comment yesterday that there is no way there wouldn’t be an acoustic consultant on a project like this. I’ve even had them for small auditoriums within buildings I’ve worked on.
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N&O is on the story,
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wake-county/article289967544.html
Wait why would this be louder than the current venue? If they’re worried about home values, you don’t have to love every genre but it’s a net positive that you can take in classic tribute bands, B-listers and cult/niche touring acts from your front porch…
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We don’t have 5 votes in council to support this. It’s not drama, it’s reality. It’s not a done deal.
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I assume Melton, MAB, Forte, and Branch support it. The rest seriously are opposed to this?? That just seems absurd. (Not you saying it, just that this is a thing.) It’s such a no brainer.
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Seriously, let’s take away something that brings people downtown. Ridiculous.
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I don’t believe it’s that the others are against, but perhaps not yet in full support.
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Well if they’re at the event today, I’ll try yelling at them until they realize they’re wrong. That usually works.
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Talking points from the DRA and a grassroots group that organizing support to keep the amphitheater. If you want to voice your support, here’s some good info. (I’ll better format this later a sits not that easy on mobile)
Save Red Hat Amphitheater Talking Points
Summary
Red Hat Amphitheater’s relocation in downtown Raleigh is at risk. Originally designed as a
temporary facility, the amphitheater has become a major cultural arts amenity in the area,
attracting national acts and hosting popular events like the downtown Ice Rink.
Recently, there is concern due to a proposed change in the relocation plan, affecting South
Street instead of Lenoir Street. This change has caused concern among various stakeholders,
complicating the project further with ongoing city projects and connectivity issues.
Immediate action and advocacy are needed to ensure the relocation proceeds, avoiding
significant negative impacts on small businesses, amenities, and overall economic health within the downtown area.Primary Talking Points
Small Business Impact
- The Amphitheater Generates Significant Revenue for Downtown Businesses: The
amphitheater brings significant economic benefits to downtown businesses with over
100 days of event programming bringing an estimated projected $30+ million in
economic impact in 2024.- Benefit to Local Economy: Events at the amphitheater drive increased customers to
nearby locally owned stores, restaurants, and bars, which is crucial given the slow return
of office workers post-pandemic. Our businesses feel very strongly about the impact of
this venue.Safety
- Positive Foot Traffic helps improve safety in downtown: The amphitheater’s events
contribute to more foot traffic in the area around the Convention Center and downtown,
enhancing safety and security in the area.Amenities
- Major Downtown Cultural Attraction needed to attract more residents and visitors:
The amphitheater is a key amenity for downtown Raleigh, offering diverse performing
arts and entertainment options and filling a void left by the absence of a downtown
sports stadium or arena.- Ice Rink is crucial to bringing families downtown during holidays and this is the
only suitable site for one in downtown: The seasonal downtown Ice Rink, hosted at
the amphitheater, is a significant attraction, bringing families downtown and boosting foot
traffic during winter months. Because of site requirements, there is no other place to put
the Ice Rink without the amphitheater. Moore Square is not graded properly and lacks
the requirements for power. The former location in City Plaza is no longer available.Leverage this for better investment in Strollway and Fourth Ward celebration:
- New amphitheater would pay for investments in bike/ped access, pocket parks
and Strollway elements: Enhancements around the amphitheater can accelerate
investments in the Chavis-Dix Strollway and Fourth Ward memorialization, by leveraging
these funds to pay for improvements that would be a part of the Strollway and could
celebrate the history of Fourth Ward, enriching downtown’s cultural and recreational
amenities.- South St could potentially be re-routed south of the amphitheater: City and NCDOT
are discussing building a new connection south of the site that would maintain the auto
access provided by South St.Regarding other potential locations for a replacement:
- There are no other city-owned sites in downtown that can hold this sized
amphitheater: this is the only suitable site available controlled by the City.- Other cities would win if we don’t build this: Live Nation has made clear that this size
is needed to maintain our place on tours that are routed through similar sized
amphitheaters. Failure to build this amphitheater at its planned size would result in tours
skipping Raleigh for Wilmington and Charlotte, more shows in Cary, and could lead to a
neighboring jurisdiction, such as Durham, to build a replacement.- Dix Park is a wonderful asset that we should invest heavily in, but is not the best
location for a replacement at this time: a 7,000 seat amphitheater in the park would
require significantly more money due to needing new utilities and parking facilities, plus
potential noise and traffic concerns for neighborhoods. And, most importantly, the
economic impact on small businesses would not be nearly as strong as in downtown.
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I don’t think it’s about the noise. The amphitheater has been there for years. I think it’s more about closing east-west connections. W Cabarrus and W Hargett are both slated to close at the RR crossings west of Dawson in the future. If South is also closed, that leaves Lenoir as the only connection for this neighborhood.
That being said, I just went to the event and the city is studying options to address this concern, including a slip lane from Dawson to McDowell. It will require cooperation from NCDOT, though.
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Talked to someone the city did a street traffic study and the city only see about 3,000 cars move through this street. Essentially its insignificant amount of traffic.
So far I see no one from the Council of No attending. The mayor and Corey are here, Bill King.
The plan looks better in person.
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Just put red hat on the Reid of the new convention center. Street closure problem solved. Plus makes for a more unique venue.
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I like the new amphitheater site, but my only gripe is that the stage should be in the NE corner of the lot with the shimmer wall and skyline as a backdrop. Maybe the topography/grade of the site are the issue, but it seems like a perfect way to have a stage in the corner and seats fanning out with an amazing view to the NE.
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Hey it looks like a few of us are/were here. I was going to share that about the traffic study. I feel like a lot of people’s concerns are actually being addressed. I talked to the mayor for a minute and it does indeed sound like getting 5 votes is a challenge. It seems once again Boylan Heights has gotten together to oppose something happening downtown because they live downtown adjacent but want to pretend they’re not. And they have a lot of political clout.
I think the downtown small business community is maybe the only group that can band together to get through to some of the councilors. Also maybe some kind of scientific polling of the entire city, because unlike every random rezoning, most people across the city like Red Hat Amphitheater.
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Yes, let’s just call it what it actually is. The Boylan “Heist” neighborhood.
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I’m not sure if anyone has mentioned it yet but the target completion date is 2026 for Red Hat and 2028 for the CC expansion per the City planning employees.
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Permanent home for Red Hat with additional seating (albeit seemingly reduced lawn capacity) would be a good thing overall for Raleigh. I’ve always lamented the stage orientation, wish that was changing to reorient the view for the crowd to experience the view looking NE but if there’s a slipping Jimmy cut through from Dawson to end around for east/west travel on this end of town, then maybe the pitchforks can stay reserved for shitty 5 o’er 1’s with silly muy_d’eck protrusions.
Thinking a bit about the state of affairs for venues ahead over the next 5-10 years 
DoSo venue, AEG
PNC adjacent venue (Live Nation) as part of Canes mixed use expansion
There was talk of a music venue at Salvage YArd ( adjacent to RIW) - no updates there in a bit
Dix park continues to evolve, integrate its long term plans but still functional for pop-up festivals on the Biig Field
What else am I missing?
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An example of local small business trying to drum up support:
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Did anybody ask about the potential to move RHA one block further south?
