The city is leasing the Belle Isle parking lot it co-owns to Allianz Amphitheater and Live Nation for its use during concerts.
Why it matters: The lease terms make the 60 public and free spaces unavailable for the public’s use from 1pm to midnight on concert days.
- That, combined with other street and lot closures, is making it harder to access the river in the area.
State of play: Richmond has “a paid, month-to-month trial lease” with the venue owners for the Belle Isle lot, city parks spokesperson Tamara Jenkins tells Axios.
- Richmond police also shut down Brown’s Island Way at 2nd Street and Tredegar Street between 5th and Brown’s Island Way during concerts, she says.
- The Tredegar Street parking lot — the gated paid lot near the American Civil War Museum — is also closed to the public during shows, a museum spokesperson tells Axios.
The city is charging Allianz $50 an hour during the closures, which works out to about $550 a day for a typical concert or $800 for a more extended closure.
What they’re saying: Allianz uses the lots for staging and staff parking, Jenkins says.
- The street closures and leased lot aim to help with crowd control and public safety, she adds.
- Allianz did not immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment.
Zoom out: The closures are similar to what happens during RiverRock and the Folk Festival, Jenkins says.
- But those festivals draw hundreds of thousands of attendees and happen over three-days twice a year, far less frequently than the 7,500-person venue’s summer schedule.
The big picture: Parking has been one of locals’ top complaints about the city’s new outdoor concert venue since it opened last month (and, if we’re being honest, since it was announced).
- At the outset, Allianz said there’d be no parking at the venue and encouraged attendees to use public transit or ride-sharing apps.
- For drivers, the venue offers a map of paid places to park within a 15-minute walk.
Yes, but: The lack of onsite parking doesn’t appear to have deterred concert-goers.
- Early reviews on social media (minus parking and food price gripes) suggest the venue is a hit and a welcome addition to life in RVA.
- And Allianz is hosting its biggest show yet this week: Back-to-back sold-out shows for Dave Matthews Band’s first Richmond concert in nearly 30 years (the Belle Isle lot will be closed from 8am-midnight due to the size of the shows).
The bottom line: It’s Richmond. We don’t do anything new without complaint…