City meets with Ford Amphitheater developer to talk about noise concerns
UPDATE: After our Tuesday and Wednesday report, the City and developer promised to make changes to noise mitigation efforts inside of the Amphitheater. Read more about it here.
Original Story:
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Following Tuesday's City Council meeting where residents surrounding the Ford Amphitheater complained about excessive noise, city officials are set to meet with the developers of Ford Amphitheater in a closed meeting.
They are supposed to discuss further mitigating the concert noise neighbors claim they hear miles away.
KRDO13 is working to confirm the details of that meeting. Yesterday, the Mayor's Chief of Staff confirmed that they would consider adding even more noise monitors in further-out neighborhoods, as well as other noise mitigation strategies.
Acoustic expert Dana Hougland weighed in on the noise reports provided to the public and explained why certain neighbors might hear concerts louder on certain nights.
"If you get a cool layer [of air] with a warm layer underneath, the sound will tend to bend and refract, you know, against that cooler layer," Hougland explained. "You can get some of sound traveling greater distances when that happens."
Hougland also explained that lower frequencies, like bass notes, can bend over dividing walls.
"Low frequencies are incredibly long. I mean, 60 to 100 feet for the wavelengths that we're talking about. And you build a 20-foot high wall and the low frequencies can just bend right over it," Hougland said.
Elevation and topography can also play into the sound neighbors are hearing miles away from the amphitheater.
"If your residences are sitting higher and at a higher elevation than the amphitheater and the barrier of the amphitheater, they're getting no benefit from that barrier," Hougland said.
That means houses that sit at higher elevations further away could be hearing the concert in ways that those who are closer might not be.
We asked Venu, formerly Noteslive, about what they are planning to do with further noise mitigation. They responded with this statement:
"We remain steadfast in our commitments to the City of Colorado Springs and look forward to ongoing conversations. We set out to build the world's most luxurious amphitheater and bring unparalleled eneterntainment to the City of Champions--all while being great neighbors. Through our ongoing efforts, we strive to contribute positively to the well-being of the city, fostering trust and strengthening the bonds that unite us."
- Venu, formerly Noteslive
We also reached out to the firm that generated the noise report, LSTN Consultants for further clarity on how they generated their noise report, and they have not replied to our request for comment.
