An independent study on noise at the new Ford Amphitheater in Colorado Springs suggests the new music venue has not been exceeding sound levels set in the project’s development plan.
Nevertheless, the city and the amphitheater’s ownership say they are still working to address widespread noise complaints from surrounding neighborhoods since its August opening.
“We understand the noise has been disruptive to some neighbors in that area,” said the city’s Deputy Chief of Staff of Infrastructure and Development Travis Easton in a press release. “We remain committed to working with neighbors and the amphitheater as it makes adjustments to further lessen these impacts.”
Ford Amphitheater was granted a special noise hardship permit by the city in July, exempting it from the sound limits typical for the northside region. Opponents lambasted the permit as a “blank check” for the venue to be as loud as it wished.
However, the project’s Planned Unit Development agreement with the city outlined an average sound level of 105 decibels within the venue during concerts. That’s about as loud as a chainsaw at close range. Sound levels could not exceed 110 decibels more than once within a five-minute period in the development plan. Meanwhile, the expectations were that neighborhood noise levels would average about 47 decibels, roughly equivalent to moderate rainfall.
The study — commissioned by the city and produced by Wisconsin-based Hankard Environmental, Inc. — comes more than a month after a state appeals court dismissed a lawsuit from neighbors regarding the noise. The study was conducted during three concerts in October and found sound levels largely within the venue’s agreement with the city. One exception came during a concert from rock band Godsmack on Oct. 17, when levels exceeded 125 decibels five times and twice within a five-minute period. In the surrounding area, sound levels from the concerts generally ranged from 43 to 60 decibels.
Both the city and the amphitheater have been trying to demonstrate they take concerns seriously from neighbors, who worry about diminished quality of life and lowered property values. Following a meeting between city staff and amphitheater ownership in late August, several additional sound mitigation measures were announced. These include building a restaurant attached to the side of the amphitheater facing the most immediate homes, in an attempt to provide more of a buffer from concert noise.
