A Colorado company is teaming up with the city of McKinney to build a $220 million outdoor amphitheater in Collin County that could seat up to 20,000 spectators.
Located on more than 46 acres northeast of Route 75 and State Route 121, the development, named Sunset Amphitheater, features more than 250 luxury fire pit suites, custom suites, and mid- and lower bowl designations. seating, and a manicured lawn berm.
“We're a company that believes music is a unifying force,” said Notes Live Inc. founder JW Roth, who expects the venue to host 50 to 55 shows a year. Masu. “If you ask a large room to raise your hand if you don't like baseball, you'll get several hands raised.But if you say you don't like music, raise your hand, no one will raise their hand.'' ”
The project is modeled after Notes Live's soon-to-open Colorado Springs venue. Ross explains that the McKinney version is an “enhanced” Colorado Springs version, as the base model has a capacity of 8,000 people, while the McKinney version has a capacity of 20,000 people. . The Colorado Springs concept takes a campus-like approach to the development and incorporates upscale food and beverage offerings by Bourbon Brothers Restaurant and Notes Live Music and Social His Bar.
Construction is also underway on a 12,500-seat venue in Broken Arrow, near Tulsa, which will be operated by Live Nation.
In its first 10 years of operation, McKinney's Sunset Amphitheater will support 1,300 direct and indirect jobs and generate $3 billion in regional and local economic activity, according to estimates provided by Notes Live. is expected to produce.
Ross, who started the prepared foods company Ross Premium Foods, has observed overhauls of soccer and baseball arenas and stadiums and pondered what it would mean to apply that approach to music venues. did.
The idea for the venue was born out of a combination of removing the frustration of high-traffic events and providing high-end finishes at every experience level.
Small additions in Ross' book include additions such as three lanes dedicated to rideshare pickups and drop-offs, which will simplify entry and exit from parking lots, and ample restrooms, which will save you time during long stretches. You can avoid waiting times and long hikes.
The premium experience created by Roth literally starts from scratch. Notes Live's lawn seating incorporates his HydroChill technology. Prior to the event, the company cooled the bead system under the lawn to below 70 degrees, allowing concertgoers to enjoy a more comfortable experience for 4 to 5 hours.
The focus on comfort extends to the air movement systems incorporated into the complex's design. On a summer night in Texas, temperatures outside after sunset can be 105 degrees, but temperatures at the amphitheater should be about 20 to 25 degrees cooler, Ross said.
Notes Live, whose board includes former Dallas Cowboys player Chad Hennings, has grown its balance sheet to more than $300 million in the past 12 months. Ross said the company is fully backed by equity, primarily family offices and other shareholders, and does not use debt.
Its premise is focused on growth markets, as seen in its investment portfolio in Gainesville, Georgia, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and Oklahoma City.
Notes Live worked with Maher Maso, a former Frisco mayor and principal at Dallas-based Ryan LLC, which has Texas incentive expertise, to select the North Texas site. McKinney Mayor George Fuller reached out to Maso regarding the city's interest in implementing Notes Live.
Choosing McKinney for this project, and the others who came to McKinney for it, came down to how cautious the city was, Fuller said. For example, the city purchased properties so that it could control what happens with certain high-profile parcels, rather than leaving them to the private market.
“We can sit around doing nothing and hope things happen the way we want them to, or we can be very proactive. Those decisions are what happened here. It helped push it forward,” Fuller said.
Ross said Notes Live works with municipalities across the country, and there are two types of municipalities: those who have a vision and those who attend every meeting with the anti-deal team. He said McKinney's leadership team does not have anyone in the anti-trade business.
Fuller said he is as excited about the social aspects of the project as he is about its economic impact.
“A lot of people are going to come to McKinney, which is great from an economic development standpoint, but I'm one of those people who believes music transcends everything and brings people together,” he said.
When asked who he would like to see perform at the venue, Ross mentioned country music king George Strait, and Fuller agreed. Fuller also agreed with Bob Seger, health permitting.
The mayor also mentioned the Maylee Thomas Band, in which his wife is the lead singer. Fuller is the band's guitarist.
Construction is expected to begin later this year. Ross said completion could be by the end of 2025, but the official opening will be in 2026.
