With the kickoff of concert season at Grand Rapids’ Acrisure Amphitheater, some locals are growing concerned with what they believe to be an “excessive” amount of noise coming from the venue.
The amphitheater opened its doors to the public on May 15 with a performance by singer Lionel Richie after nearly two decades of planning and millions of dollars in investments. Other major acts will take the stage on a weekly basis throughout the summer and into the fall.
Lauré Turmell, who lives in the northwest corner of the city, told The Grand Rapids Herald the recent onslaught of loud events has created major disruptions for her and her neighbors.
“The Acrisure Amphitheater is producing an excessive amount of noise,” she said. “The residents of the city are kind of being disrupted by this noise. The problem is amplified by the fact that it’s late at night, past 11 p.m.”
Turmell said a recent visit by rapper Kid Cudi last month proved especially disruptive. She said she had spoken with others who claimed to be able to hear the concert clearly enough to identify specific songs from as far away as three miles from the venue.
“That was an excessively loud concert,” she said. “The fact that it was late at night is affecting people who have to go to work early or who have kids who go to bed early or if they have other responsibilities.”
Turmell grew so concerned with the noise that she wrote to Mayor David LaGrand’s office asking for the city to reassess noise ordinance exemptions granted to the amphitheater. A representative of LaGrand’s office replied to confirm receipt of the message.
“We appreciate your outreach and flagging that it could be heard in your area,” Assistant to the Mayor Laura Olson wrote in reply. “Please know that this has been relayed for additional evaluation.”
That response, Turmell said, did little to address her concerns.
“It didn’t feel like they were opening any doors for communication, it didn’t feel like they were actually researching any specific problem solving solutions,” she said. “City officials are the ones who can actually make things happen so it’s unfortunate I’m only getting canned responses and silence.”
The amphitheater is expected to generate $876 million in net new revenue for Grand Rapids over 32 years, according to an economic impact study by Grand Action 2.0 and $4.9 million in tax revenue for the city. Per season, the Acrisure Amphitheater expects roughly 300,000 visitors.
Also speaking out was Michael Yoder, whose letter to the city clerk on the matter also appears in Tuesday’s City Commission meeting packet. He too expressed concerns stemming from the Kid Cudi concert in May.
Yoder, who lives on the West Side, told The Herald he is among those who can regularly hear amphitheater concerts three miles away from the venue.
“The music was so loud I thought my neighbors were having a party,” he said. “My neighbors texted me saying the music woke their kids up.”
After writing a letter about the issue, Yoder claimed he had not yet received any response from the city.
“I don’t know if anybody cares or not,” Yoder said of the city. “I’m glad the amphitheater is there, I have nothing against the amphitheater, I just think it’s pretty ridiculous that after 11:00 at night it’s so loud.”
“I was joking with my son that he can tell all his buddies to come over, free parking, and they can hang out on the deck and listen to the concerts,” he added.
Yoder also called on city leaders to reexamine the venue’s noise ordinance exemptions and enforce a strict 11 p.m. cutoff for shows.
At Tuesday night’s commission meeting, a Grand Rapids resident who lives downtown said he experiences many amphitheater concerts “in my living room. He called on the commission to enforce a fine for concerts that run past their 11:00 p.m. curfew.
“All I want is good neighbors,” he said. “If concerts run long, they need to be penalized. Something needs to happen.”
Commissioner AliciaMarie Belchak said at Tuesday’s meeting she received “numerous, numerous” emails from her First Ward constituents about amphitheater complaints and had forwarded several of them to City Manager Mark Washington.
“The members of the community are being impacted by this and it is something that we have yet to fully discuss as a team further here,” she said. “This is a new feature about our community that we will have to monitor and address as needed.”
A city spokesperson told The Herald officials were aware of citizen concerns, but did not identify any specific action steps being taken to resolve them.
“City staff reviews all sound-level complaints in partnership with the Amphitheater’s operators and will take steps necessary to address violations of City Code or other requirements,” he wrote via email. “As this new venue becomes fully established, we are continuing to work closely with the venue’s operators to monitor sound levels, evaluate future options, and support a positive experience for both nearby residents and visitors.”
Write to jackson@grherald.com