Neighbors upset with plan to put concert stage on South Frontage Road

By Max Bakke
Journal Inquirer
Published: Monday, December 21, 2009 11:59 AM EST

VERNON — A proposed outdoor summer concert venue along South Frontage Road has triggered an emotional response from nearby residents who are concerned about added noise and traffic connected to the project.

The venue, proposed by TicketNetwork, a secondary ticket brokering service headquartered on Bolton Road, aims to hold 20 events next summer at a 2,000-seat capacity theater.

Ticket brokers such as TicketNetwork typically are online marketplaces where ticket-holders can resell their tickets to entertainment and sporting events. The summer series will allow the company to expand its business to sell its own tickets, Dan Chemistruck, project manager for the venue, said.

“If you look at the whole ticketing business,” he said, “primary and secondary ticketing markets are going to merge.”

TicketNetwork aims to pull in minor country, alternative, and classic rock acts to the series, which will run on weekend nights throughout the summer.

TicketNetwork is asking for several special permits for parking, size, and alcohol at the venue, which will sit on 9 acres of existing forest immediately off Interstate 84 at exit 66. The Planning and Zoning Commission held its first public hearing on the plan last week. The hearing was continued to Jan. 7.

Resident Jennifer Roggi said she is among several neighbors who are upset about the project and attended last week’s hearing.

There are concerns among residents who argue the venue will bring traffic congestion, unwanted noise, and rowdy behavior, she said, “It’s just not the right location for a venue of this nature.”

Additionally, Jon Roe, who lives on Valley Falls Road near the site, said the venue could harm residents’ property values.

“Are people going to want to buy a house next to this?” he questioned.

Chemistruck said TicketNetwork wants to be a good neighbor, adding that a sound barrier would be added to the temporary stage to muffle and deflect noise away from neighbors.

“We’re trying to contact as many people as possible so we can be sure we’re not going to intrude” on businesses or residents, he said.

Chemistruck added that all apparatus, except for one permanent structure for utilities, would be taken down after the season.

TicketNetwork also plans to add lighting, crosswalks, and a pedestrian walking trail leading from the overflow parking lots at the company’s Bolton Road headquarters to the site.