Neighbors weigh in on Ford Amphitheater’s opening weekend

(COLORADO SPRINGS) — City officials told FOX21 News that they received 144 noise complaints following the grand opening of Ford Amphitheater. Thousands of people packed the new outdoor venue over the weekend, but some think the city is not holding the amphitheater accountable.

“One of the things that they advertised to us ahead of time is they would be able to control the volume of the noise,” said John Gaughan, a neighbor in the area.

Ford Amphitheater celebrated the opening weekend featuring OneRepublic with confetti and a fireworks show, but some nearby neighbors were not happy with the mess and noise.

“The volume of the noise between night one and night two were significantly different. Night two, we could definitely hear the whole thing,” added Gaughan.

The City received more than 144 complaints through the GoCOS app since Aug. 8.

“There were some times, where even our pets were disturbed by it, and so certainly was concerned about the personal impact upon our family,” added Dr. Louis Hoffman.

The amphitheater was granted a noise hardship permit, which authorizes it to exceed city noise limits. However, the venue has to follow recommendations made by a third party.

“There were a lot of reports of people up to five or six miles away and even further away, they could clearly hear the music, even with their windows closed,” said Dr. Hoffman.

Venu, the owners of the Ampitheater, said in a statement, “We were 100-percent in line with our commitments made in the planned unit development or PUD with the city of Colorado Springs.”

“At the very least, I think the city and the Ford Amphitheater have a responsibility to be looking at how many people this is impacting,” said Dr. Hoffman.

Part of the venue’s agreement with the city dictates that all concerts on Fridays and Saturdays must be over by 11:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. on Thursdays.

And while some were bothered by the grand opening festivities, not everyone is complaining. Some are enjoying the benefits of watching the shows from their patios.

“On the second night, I came outside and watched the fireworks show from the porch. In fact, we’ve got tickets for the Pentatonix show next month. So, I’m looking forward to that,” said Gaughan.

The city told FOX21 that they will be closely monitoring the events and gathering data to determine if an event exceeds the noise limit.

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