$116 Million Amphitheater Approved by Grand Rapids Leaders

In April, the Grand Rapids City Commission approved a proposal by the Grand Rapids-Ken County Convention/Arena Authority (CAA) to buy over 11 acres of land to build an amphitheater. At its board meeting on Friday, the commission approved a memorandum of understanding with Grand Action 2.0 (GA2.0) that outlines the terms of partnership between CAA and Grand Action 2.0 in developing the amphitheater. The proposed $116 million amphitheater will seat 12,000. It will sit at the southwest edge of downtown Grand Rapids and be slightly smaller than Pine Knob Music Theater in metro Detroit. The CAA is a seven-member board that administers DeVos Place, DeVos Performance Hall and Van Andel Arena. Grand Action 2.0 is an economic development group chaired by Carol Van Andel, Dick DeVos and Tom Welch, Michigan’s regional president of Fifth Third Bank.