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Gleneagle Civic Association, Nov. 14 – City responds to GCA regarding amphitheater noise

By David Futey

During the Nov. 14 Gleneagle Civic Association (GCA) member meeting, there were two discussions regarding resident complaints about noise emitting from the Ford Amphitheater and its effect on GCA community members. During those discussions, GCA members on the Zoom call meeting asked the GCA board to send a letter to the Colorado Springs mayor and City Council requesting that the amphitheater’s noise hardship permit not be renewed. The permit allows the amphitheater to exceed the 50 decibels limit stipulated in city code and Colorado Revised Statue Section 25-12-103. The GCA board said it would meet on Nov. 15 to discuss that request and review the information provided by community members.

On Dec. 9, Warren Management, the GCA’s homeowners association (HOA) management team, and on behalf of the GCA board, sent the following summary and two letters, one from the GCA board to Mayor Yemi Mobolade’s office and the other being the response from the mayor’s office to the GCA board. As alluded to in the mayor’s office’s response, the mayor attended a meeting held at The Classical Academy on Dec. 17 where citizens could voice their opinion regarding the amphitheater and the noise hardship permit. In August, the city and Venu, operator of the amphitheater, announced sound mitigation modifications including increasing the size of the buffer walls.

Emailed to GCA members on Dec. 9

Dear Gleneagle Homeowners,

The Board of Directors of the Gleneagle Civic Association has been actively monitoring the noise levels emanating from the Ford Amphitheater and their potential impact on our community.

We recently sent a letter to the City of Colorado Springs expressing our concerns. We are pleased to share that we have received a response from the Mayor’s Office.

Attached is the letter presented to the Mayor’s Office by the Gleneagle Civic Association and a copy of the email received from the City of Colorado Springs.

We will continue to monitor the situation and advocate on behalf of our community. We will provide further updates as they become available.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding.

Sincerely,

Gleneagle Civic Association

Letter from GCA Board to Mayor Mobolade

November 18, 2024

Dear Mayor Mobolade,

We, the board of directors of the Gleneagle Civic Association (“GCA”), are writing as we understand that you will soon be deciding whether to grant a “Hardship Waiver” for the Ford Amphitheater’s (henceforth “Ford”) next concert season. We respectfully request that you reject a blanket waiver and limit the waiver to the Polaris Apartments to the south of Ford.

The seven-hundred-member GCA is located north of North Gate Boulevard and east of Struthers Road and is within hearing distance of Ford. From what we can gather from news sources and testimony before City Council, it seems that Ford representatives have stated that they are willing to comply with state and city sound limits except to the extent that said limit is less than the ambient noise found in a locality when Ford is not operational, in which case they will not exceed the ambient sound level. The one notable exception is the Polaris Apartments directly to the south of Ford where a waiver is required.

The sound levels experienced by our members from Ford varies and not everyone is impacted or upset about the sound from Ford. However, a large number of our members are experiencing sound in excess of statute limits and/or the ambient noise levels in their neighborhood when Ford is not open. It is for those impacted that we are asking that Ford comply with state and city statutes. Ford founder JW Roth says he can operate within the city regulations and/or the ambient noise levels in a neighborhood.

We are not suggesting that Ford be closed. In fact, Ford is a welcome new asset to the community and will save many a long and unpleasant drive to Denver to experience high-end outdoor concerts.

Thank you for your time and for listening to our concerns.

Regards,

The Board of Directors

Gleneagle Civic Association

Response from Mayor Mobolade’s office

Good morning,

Thank you for reaching out and sharing your thoughts and concerns with our office. Mayor Yemi wants to foster an environment where every voice is heard and where collaboration leads to innovative solutions. He has called upon each and every Colorado Springs resident to join him in building a united Colorado Springs.

I will share your comments and concerns with Mayor Yemi and he will keep them in mind as he continues his work as Mayor. Greater things are yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city.

Please see below for the letter Mayor Yemi shared regarding the Ford Amphitheater including future noise mitigation plans and a neighborhood meeting with Mayor Yemi.

Mayor Yemi shares letter to the community regarding Ford Amphitheater

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Today, October 25, Mayor Yemi Mobolade hosted a meeting with Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Venu Holding Corporation (VENU) J.W. Roth and City Council President Randy Helms to discuss the 2024 Ford Amphitheater concert season and ongoing noise mitigation efforts by VENU. In the spirit of continued transparency from both the City and VENU, the presentation is publicly available: 10-25 Presentation.pdf

In addition, the following is a letter to the community from Mayor Yemi regarding today’s meeting and next steps.

This year, our community welcomed a new and innovative outdoor live music venue to the Polaris Pointe neighborhood—Ford Amphitheater. Ahead of its opening, there were three primary community concerns that the new venue, neighbors and the City were watching closely – parking, traffic and noise.

I’m pleased to report that our shared review of parking and traffic has been overwhelmingly positive. Noise, however, remains an area of concern for some in nearby neighborhoods.

Throughout the amphitheater’s 2024 concert season, the City received numerous comments regarding noise. I want these community members to know that the City has been working closely with VENU and J.W. Roth, the amphitheater’s owner, on this issue. I met personally with Mr. Roth over the course of this year, specifically to address noise complaints. Our most recent meeting was today, October 25.

At today’s meeting, VENU presented a recap of its opening season, which by many accounts, was a resounding success. Data shows the amphitheater is having an overall positive impact economically, with more than 100,000 people attending shows and individuals coming from more than 5,000 zip codes. Local businesses, including hotels and restaurants, are also reporting increased sales related to concert activity.

Today, VENU also shared critical and specific plans to further address sound mitigation. I believe their efforts to improve are genuine, and I am pleased by their data-based approach, use of expert consultants and actionable plan.

The plan focuses on three action areas: physical, electro-acoustic and operational changes. It proposes material changes to the structure of the amphitheater that are significant in both physical size and cost to them. This includes an expansion of the solid surface wall, sound curtains and sound absorption panels. They are also continuing to model and test ideal speaker locations to address low frequency noise, and proposals are being reviewed to reduce decibel limits and earlier end times for non-weekend shows.

The presentation VENU gave today can be accessed here: 10-25 Presentation.pdf

We all acknowledge there is a lot of work needed to be done between now and the start of the 2025 concert season this May. VENU will provide a more specific timeline on these steps in the coming weeks.

Also, next week, the City will publish the results of an independent noise study commissioned by City Council President Helms and I to track amphitheater noise from the 2024 season. Further, to ensure neighbors are heard, I am personally committed to a neighborhood meeting before this year ends. More information on that opportunity is forthcoming.

We will continue to work together—the City, VENU and neighbors—to make this a successful endeavor that contributes to our City’s vision to be a safe, economically prosperous, culturally rich, welcoming and vibrant world-class American city on a hill that shines brightly.

We are Colorado Springs.

Onward and upward.

Mayor Yemi

David Futey can be reached at davidfutey@ocn.me.

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