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Community members weigh in on proposed riverfront amphitheater project in downtown Grand Rapids

The project is expected to generate nearly $500 Million over the next 30 years and $7 Million in annual wage earnings.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The city of Grand Rapids is getting closer to making a proposed riverfront amphitheater a reality. 

Dozens of community members were part of a presentation and question and answer session Monday night with organizers behind the $116 Million proposal.   

"I think it's a beautiful project," Lucas Leverett, a local resident, says.

The proposed 12,000 seat amphitheater is something he's excited to see one day.

"I think this is a wonderful opportunity to give an example of doing it all, giving a little something to everybody in the community, something that everybody can benefit from, finding a way to do it in a way that's equitable and in service to everyone," Leverett says.

Local entrepreneur Dee Jones also wants to see people from all walks of life involved in this project.

"I think it it brings a lot of attention. I think you'll have people from underserved communities and nicer, well-off communities," he says.

Jones wants to see opportunities for e-sports and big concerts.

"Having cool hip hop artists, and possibly, we can get some a list celebrities to come here and perform at the amphitheater," he says. "That'd be nice."

The organization behind the proposal, Grand Action 2.0, addressed questions on things like noise levels and parking.

"We've identified about 18,500 parking spots that either occur in existing parking lots or structures, selected private lots that were run by private entities (like) the Grand Valley State University lots, and on-street parking," Progressive AE Principal Bill Culhane says. "What that tells us is, we have more than enough parking to service the amphitheater."

"I'm trying to put my trust in the parking plan. I do want to see a lot of the details there because I know we have overlapping events sometimes and end up with a parking shortage," Leverett says.

The project is expected to generate nearly $500 Million over the next 30 years and $7 Million in annual wage earnings. The proposed amphitheater is on schedule to be complete before the spring of 2026.

"We want it to be a world class, iconic piece of architecture that again would create an atmosphere to project Grand Rapids as not only one of the best cities in the Midwest, but one of the best cities across the country," Culhane says.

The Grand Rapids Planning Commission is expected to review and potentially vote on a special land use application on this project on June 22nd.

For reference, the Frederik Meijer Gardens Amphitheater can accommodate 1,900 people. Soaring Eagle's outdoor arena seats 10,000 guests, and the Pine Knob Music Theatre on the east side of the state has a capacity of 15,000.

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