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City Council votes to save Red Hat Amphitheater.
Red Hat Amphitheater lives on! (Pause for applause and happy tears.) Raleigh City Council voted unanimously (with exception of the absent Mary Black of District A and Christina Jones of District E) to expand and update the popular DTR concert venue—and close the one highly debated block of South Street necessary to prevent Red Hat Amp from shuttering permanently.
The planned expansion will accommodate ~1,000 more seats and a larger loading dock and backstage area, as well as increased concessions, with the project slated for a late Q1 2025 groundbreaking and a reopening in 2026—just in time for outdoor concert season (!).
That said, expansion will have its obstacles, as pointed out by concerned residents of the surrounding neighborhoods. The city is working with NCDOT to offset the closure of the block of South Street—also slated for Q1 2025—with a yet-to-be-approved slip lane connecting Dawson and McDowell streets, which is estimated to cost $2–3 million.
“The money is there, but we need to figure out what pocket to take it from, such as Capital Reserves,” says Jonathan Melton, member at-large. “My primary goal here is to maintain as much connectivity for South Street as possible. And I think that connector will help with that, and also, to improve the condition for bicycles, pedestrians, wheelchairs, scooters and strollers in that area.” Melton, as well as council member Corey Branch of District C, also suggested incorporating some sort of significant nod to the history of the Fourth Ward.
Despite the remaining details , the health and future of Downtown has been saved, with Red Hat Amp and all its economic impact ($17.5 mil in 2023!) staying put in our city’s center to benefit surrounding small businesses, restaurants, bars and breweries—not to mention Raleighites near and far. Let the music play on!
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