[EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated]
Birmingham's new Carraway Amphitheater may be one step closer to beginning construction, according to reports.
Per WBRC, the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center (BJCC) Authority Board approved a resolution on Wednesday outlining bond issuance, interest rates and executive committee authority.
The Birmingham City Council, Jefferson County Commission, the BJCC and Live Nation were all initially asked to fork up $5 million each. At least the city council, county commission and BJCC have already agreed. The BJCC will also borrow the remaining $30 million for the $50 million project.
The plans for the new amphitheater were abruptly announced at a Jefferson County Commission work session in October. Some suggested that the new theater could replace Pelham's Oak Mountain Amphitheatre.
This initially caught Pelham Mayor Gary Water off guard, but Waters went silent about the amphitheater business following initial reports.
The proposed new theater would be owned by the BJCC and managed by Live Nation, which currently operates Oak Mountain Amphitheatre. It would be slightly smaller than the 10,500-seater in Pelham and located on the Carraway Hospital site.
Corporate Realty purchased the Carraway Hospital site in 2020 after the Birmingham City Council re-zoned the property for mixed-use and approved over $13 million in incentives, including a $4.1 million grant to help the company acquire the property.
When approached at the Pelham City Council meeting in March, Waters said he had no comment about the amphitheater, but he did say the choice for Live Nation to move would ultimately be a "business decision" and that the City of Pelham had thought about what to do in case Live Nation were to leave.
Earlier that month, the Pelham City Council elected to approve a road widening project for Amphitheater Road, which leads to the Oak Mountain Amphitheatre, even as rumors about the amphitheater move loomed.
The City of Pelham's communications manager, Ainsley Allison, said the road widening project was planned in 2019 to reduce traffic congestion for the new Canopy at Oak Mountain. This mixed-use development will eventually be part of the city's entertainment district.
Canopy will contain hundreds of luxury apartments, retail stores and restaurants like Atlanta-based Taco Mac and Mountain High Outfitters. It will be located on the other side of Amphitheater Road from the current amphitheater.
BJCC executive director Tad Snider told WBRC that, if everything goes as planned, construction for the new amphitheater will begin next year, and the grand opening could be slated for 2025.
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