VENU, the Colorado Springs-based entertainment company behind the new Ford Amphitheater has signed an agreement with the city detailing extensive sound mitigation efforts it will undertake to address widespread neighborhood noise complaints during concerts. The deal also lays out a framework for accountability, including the possibility of fines if sound levels exceed agreed-on thresholds.
“From the very beginning, we made a promise to be great neighbors, and that promise remains at the heart of everything we do,” VENU Founder and CEO J.W. Roth said in a statement announcing the agreement late Tuesday.
The deal includes a number of “multi-million-dollar” commitments the company said will help lower sound levels in areas surrounding the amphitheater. These include the construction of newly-announced sound barrier walls on the north and south boundaries of the property as well as a sound tunnel at the eastern entry to the amphitheater designed to redirect noise.
VENU also said it’s making “substantial changes” to the amphitheater’s sound system to lower noise and is installing three new noise monitoring stations in nearby neighborhoods to keep track of sound levels, adding to two that were in place for the 2024 concert season.
“My goal is to ensure you’ll need to buy a ticket to enjoy the concert,” Roth said in the statement.
One of the biggest flashpoints in the controversy over the amphitheater has been the blanket “hardship permit” the city granted VENU to exceed noise limits outlined in the municipal code. Under the agreement, the noise hardship permit remains through at least Oct. 31 but has been limited to the surrounding Polaris Pointe development.
If noise levels outside of Polaris Pointe exceed neighborhood noise limits by six decibels or more at two or more noise monitoring locations, VENU would be subject to financial penalties of $500 per violation.
“Data, along with feedback from neighbors, has been critical to forging this new path forward, and I want to thank our community and the entire team at VENU for its diligence, investment and commitment to making the Ford Amphitheater a shared success for our community,” Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade said in the press release on the agreement. “I am optimistic about the outcome of the planned mitigation and monitoring efforts, and we will be watching the results closely throughout this season.”
Meanwhile, an organized group of neighbors against the amphitheater called Ford Hurts Families said in a Tuesday press release: “While not as ironclad as what we had advocated, this agreement represents a significant step forward from the 2024 concert season — and is a testament to the impact this group can have when we work together.”
