This past week the final plans were released for one of the most ambitious plans for the Syracuse region in many years. The new Onondaga Lake amphitheater complex will contain two massive concert stages – one 17,500-seat venue for Dave Matthews-style concerts and one smaller community theater with a few hundred seats, especially geared toward local shows and acts.
Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney and her team decided on a design they call “The Cove,”, putting the main amphitheater along the natural landscape of the lake’s western shore.
In spite of the strong economic and cultural benefits to this new complex, there were still some opponents. Some of them formed a new group called ‘The Citizens for a Better Plan’, with a mission to push the county to slow down the process and hold more public hearings.
In the face of the opposition, the county’s goal is to host the first concert by the end of 2015 to increase their chances of booking a full concert season for 2016.
“My philosophy has been that we need to do the kinds of things that are going to make people want to call Central New York home. Certainly, we need the roads paved, we need the sewers upgraded, but that kind of keeps us hovering around the status quo. And it’s these kinds of projects that will attract people to this region,” commented Mahoney.
