An amphitheater in north Minneapolis on the shores of the Mississippi River is closer to becoming a reality.
It took more than ten years of work before Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was able to sign-off on the $300 million project on the Upper Harbor Terminal site on the city's north side.
"We've been working on it with a whole lot of partners for the better part of a decade, and great things take time," Mayor Frey explains. "Great things take a whole lot of community engagement, and there are people that have been to countless meetings to make sure that the north side wasn't just involved, but they were co-creators in this vision."
The Community Performing Arts Center includes an 8,000 seat amphitheatre.
Minneapolis recently received a $12 million state grant for the project, which will be operated by First Avenue, the Minnesota Orchestra, and the African American Community Development Corporation.
Frey also noted that a portion of ticket sales will be reinvested into the surrounding community.
"The north side deserves extraordinary things," says Frey. "And one of those extraordinary things that will now happen because the financing has been complete, the design is complete, every final hurdle has happened to make sure that the Northside Community Performing Arts Center will take shape right on this land behind us."
Outside of the Community Performing Arts Center, the development will also include a 20-acre riverfront park, affordable rental and ownership housing for current residents, 300 living wage jobs plus a health and wellness hub.
The site was a barge terminal for decades, but has been sitting unused since 2014. The Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock was permanently closed to navigation in 2015.