The developers of the new outdoor Ford Amphitheater have agreed to implement additional measures intended to address noise levels that residents living in the surrounding area have described in recent weeks as excessive. VENU founder, chairman and CEO JW Roth and company President and Chief Operating Officer Bob Mudd met with Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade and City Council President Randy Helms on Wednesday to discuss possible additional noise-mitigation strategies "that aim to reduce unintentional impact on our community," the city and VENU said in a joint written statement Wednesday evening. While sound reporting shows the amphitheater has complied with city-approved noise limits and mitigation requirements since it opened three weeks ago, "we all recognize the need to try alternative mitigation strategies to address noise," the city and developers wrote.
Neighbors living up to 3 miles away from the venue told the City Council this week they have been subjected to unwanted noise from the amphitheater and it has affected their quality of life and their mental health. By Sunday, residents had also filed roughly 650 complaints with the city about the sound levels emanating from the facility. Residents asked VENU, formerly known as Notes Live, to consider implementing several other mitigation measures to reduce noise.
These included building more sound barriers on the northern and southern sides of seating areas, in addition to the existing sound barrier on the eastern side. They also asked the city to rescind a noise-hardship permit in place through mid-October that allows the amphitheater to exceed city noise limits of 50 decibels in residential areas between 7 p.m.
and 7 a.m. Councilman Dave Donelson asked developers to commit to not using fireworks and to install sound monitors outside the amphitheater that the city can access to monitor decibel levels.
Councilwoman Nancy Henjum agreed, adding that she wanted developers to also reduce the noise levels inside the amphitheater. Among short- and long-term actions intended to reduce noise, VENU announced Wednesday it will not use fireworks, except possibly on Independence Day, July 4. Developers will also increase the depth of the existing sound wall on the amphitheater's eastern perimeter from 24 inches deep to 50 feet deep, with the goal of reducing decibel levels outside the venue.
That project is underway and will be in place for the full 2025 season, developers said in the statement. The existing sound wall is 28 feet tall, which currently exceeds city-imposed development requirements, officials said. VENU will review performance data with its team of acousticians and production companies to explore how possible reconfiguration measures, like adjusting the positioning of speakers, could further reduce sound transmission outside the amphitheater, they said.
VENU will also explore the possibility and effectiveness of other physical mitigation, pending the results of further sound-containment research. These efforts could include additional walls or the addition of felt, for example, to help contain noise, city spokeswoman Vanessa Zink said. She added that developers have not committed yet to specific physical mitigation options, because they must first review performance data.
Developers will share a timeline for these measures as they gather data and develop mitigation strategies, they said in the statement. "We ask for the community's patience and grace as additional research is conducted and these actions are developed and applied," they wrote..
