North Carolina Construction News staff writer
The City of Raleigh will hold a public hearing on Sept. 17 at 1 p.m., to consider closing one block of South Street between Dawson and McDowell streets for the relocation of the Red Hat Amphitheater. Click d to sign up to speak at the meeting.
Staff has been working with community stakeholders to decide the next steps for the Raleigh Convention Center (RCC) and Red Hat Amphitheater.
In 2010, the Red Hat Amphitheater was built as a temporary venue on land intended for the eventual expansion of the RCC. With the RCC at capacity and funding now available for the expansion, the City plans to relocate the popular amphitheater in order to move forward with the long-awaited expansion project.
To keep booking top performers, the venue must have at least 6,000 seats. The new venue will offer upgraded amenities, including performer space, concessions, restrooms, and safety, all within a $40 million budget.
The city, project architect and contractor identified one preferred option.
The current amphitheater was constructed in 2010 on property that has been identified as the location for the future expansion of the convention center. In anticipation of an expansion of the convention center, pursuant to the original design, the city purchased a vacant lot in late 2019 immediately to the south, for the purpose of supporting the future relocation of the amphitheater facility.
With ILA funding approved, staff initiated a Request for Qualifications process to procure professional design services for the expansion and relocation projects and, in January 2024, council authorized a contract with Ratio USA LLC for the design of both projects.
Early conceptual renderings show the new amphitheater incorporating the city-owned vacant lot along with a portion of Lenoir Street situated between Dawson and McDowell Streets.
However, after several months of design work and site analysis, it has been determined that the only configuration which would enable construction of an amphitheater that also meets operational, cost, and capacity requirements – among many other critical variables – requires the site to be located within South Street as opposed to Lenoir Street, as initially envisioned.
To accommodate amphitheater development in South Street is recommending:
- approval to close South Street right-of-way between Dawson and McDowell Streets
- approval of a comprehensive plan amendment to remove the same segment of South Street from Map T1: Street Plan
In addition to the need to incorporate a portion of the South Street right-of-way into the footprint of the new amphitheater, the design also requires the inclusion of an NC Department of Transportation (NCDOT)-owned, .19-acre parcel, located at the intersection of W. South and S. McDowell Streets.
To learn more, click Amphitheater Relocation and Convention Center Expansion.