MINNEAPOLIS, Minn (CelebrityAccess) — On Friday, the City of Minneapolis City Council approved a concept plan for a new waterfront development in North Minneapolis that will include a concert venue operated by local independent promoter First Avenue.
According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the plan to rehabilitate the former Upper Harbor Terminal industrial site, which includes provisions for the first amphitheater of its kind in the market, is a “capital priority” for the city’s mayor Jacob Frey.
The plan includes three different amphitheater concepts, with capacities that range from 7,000 and 10,000 people, and which would cost between $26 million and $49 million, the Star-Tribune reported.
The development would occupy the former site of the city’s Upper Harbor Terminal, a riverfront industrial facility that closed in 2014 after use of the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock was ended by the federal government to prevent the spread of two species of invasive Asian carp.
While the plans call for the amphitheater to be overseen by First Avenue, provisions include a ticket surcharge for that would fund free, community-oriented programming at the venue.
The planned amphitheater would be part of a development that includes a “greenspace” park, preserved industrial buildings, residential housing that includes affordable and market-priced units, as well as commercial and retail space.
First Avenue’s Dayna Frank was questioned at a community meeting last month by some residents who thought the venue should be managed by the community and challenged her on the need for such a venue in Minneapolis.
In response, Frank cited a survey conducted by community nonprofit Juxtaposition Arts that indicated support for an outdoor music venue, and more would support the plan if it offered special performances for North Side residents, the Star-Tribune reported.
“It kind of marries a regional need and turns it into an economic generator for a specific neighborhood or community,” Frank told the community members.
