Ford Amphitheater faces heat from City Council after noise complaints

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Venu, formerly Noteslive, is facing scrutiny from City Council members after multiple people complained of excessive noise during concerts held at the Ford Amphitheatre.

Colorado Springs City Council members Nancy Henjum and Dave Donelson, alongside Council President Randy Helms, validated resident's concerns before moving on to questioning the developer, Venu, formerly Noteslive.

"Trust has really been broken here with the city council, with the city administration, previous current. And we have to start looking at how do we repair that trust," Henjum said, addressing the developer. "So I'm not going to stay focused on the past except to say that I am sorry and I do want to move forward and look into the future."

30 people signed up for public comment during Tuesday's City Council meeting concerning the noise generated by the Ford Amphitheatre since its opening in early August. Many alleged that they had heard excessive noise past 11 p.m., violating the noise variance permit issued by the City. Others had issues with the noise variance permit itself, claiming it violated State Law.

"I believe the venue has the potential to be such an addition to our community.  And like I said in my speech, you know, to enhance the fabric of our community, but not at the expense of the residents," Cheree Hutchison, a Gleneagle resident said.  

During the City Council meeting, members of the City Council and the Mayor's Chief of Staff acknowledged the issues residents in the Northgate area and beyond were dealing with. They promised a meeting the following day with the Ford Amphitheatre developer, J.W. Roth to discuss the noise complaints and what can be done to continue to mitigate the noise.

During the meeting, Robert Mudd said that since the opening of the Amphitheater, J.W. Roth, the owner of the development company, had faced personal threats to him and his family. Mudd claimed that he had personally overseen extra security efforts to keep Roth safe.

In the meantime, city officials will meet with J.W. Roth on Wednesday to discuss further noise mitigation efforts.