GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — An ambitious plan broke ground in Grand Rapids Tuesday—a plan to create a nearly $200 million amphitheater in a now-demolished city lot.
"The story is one of a collaborative community vision that will shape our Grand Rapids landscape," Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss said. "It will connect people together, it'll connect people to place, it'll enrich our entire quality of life in our city and it'll bolster our local economy for generations to come."
City, county and business leaders hoisted their shovels Tuesday, sending the first piles of sand into the air to mark the start of construction on the Acrisure Amphitheater. The name came from the local insurance company that contributed $30 million to the project.
"In an honest moment, it was kind of a proud moment to see and just understand that we've got a small part of something that's so grand and impactful in terms of, you think about the joy it's going to bring the community and our employees and at large it's something that we're just super excited to be a part of," Acrisure CEO Greg Williams said.
The site sits just along the Grand River downtown off of Market Street.
Demolition began in early May on the project that's expected to be able to seat 12,000 people.
It's one of several new projects the city has been planning, including a potential soccer stadium and new aquarium.
They're projects that some leaders hope will get support from an increased tax on hotel and motel stays in Kent County.
A proposal on whether to do so is set to appear on the August 6th election ballot.
"We need your 'yes' votes on that date to help raise visitor-funded community assets to underwrite this project," Grand Action 2.0 co-chair Carol Van Andel said.
Concerns arose among some county commissioners, however, when the resolution was passed to put the proposal on the ballot. Such concerns revolved around having those staying in Kent County outside of Grand Rapids having to pay the increased tax to potentially help fund projects inside city limits.
Being a mix of both public and private dollars, the amphitheater is expected to be complete by mid-2026.