An amendment to the Chapter 380 grant and development agreement for the Sunset Amphitheater approved at a Dec. 3 joint meeting changed the date the developer, Colorado-based Venu, is required to make the announcement from Dec. 15 to Sept. 15, 2025.
The amendment was approved by McKinney City Council members in a 6-1 vote, with council member Justin Beller voting against the item. It was also unanimously approved by the boards of the McKinney Community Development Corporation and the McKinney Economic Development Corporation, which are also parties in the development agreement.
The details
The project owner was initially required to enter into a contract with an operator for the venue by Dec. 15, 2024 and provide documentation of the agreement to city parties involved in the project, city documents state.
The change in the date for the operator agreement requirement is due to “changes in the industry,” said Bod Mudd, president and chief operating officer at Venu.
The approved amendment would also allow for an entity affiliated with Venu to be considered for selection as the operator of the venue, along with other eligible operators. Five operators are listed in the document as potential operators for the venue, including:
- Live Nation Entertainment
- Anschutz Entertainment Group
- Oak View Group
- ASM Global
- Opry Entertainment Group/Ryman Hospitality Properties
The $220 million open-air amphitheater was announced in March. The new entertainment venue will have a capacity of 20,000 people and JW Roth, founder and CEO of Venu, said the venue is estimated to host between 50-65 shows each year, including concerts and comedians.
McKinney leaders approved the initial development agreement for the project in April, which includes over $50 million in incentives.
The first amendment to the agreement was approved by council members at an Oct. 15 meeting, and included changes to the terms of the land purchase, the eligible operators for the venue and other changes to the site design.
The site plan for the project, which will be situated on 46 acres located northeast of US 75 and SH 121, adjacent to the Sheraton McKinney Hotel, was approved at a Nov. 19 meeting.
Also of note
A new noise study for the planned venue has been published. The study is an updated version of the original environmental noise assessment, completed in February, and takes into account additional elements of the project that are expected to contribute to sound mitigation, City Attorney Mark Houser said at the meeting.
The study includes the effects of the configuration of the buildings, the noise barrier on the east side of the venue and the parking deck, as well as other vertical structures in the project. McKinney Mayor George Fuller said the updated study showed “significant reductions” in noise impacts.
“It shows an improved result with all of the mitigation that they did,” Fuller said.
The study indicated that with the combined physical and electroacoustic mitigation plan, the noise levels in the neighboring Magnolia Branch development, which is located about 1,400-feet to the east of the venue, would be 64 decibels, which is a 6-decibel decrease from the original study.
The Coventry Point development, about 3,300-feet to the north of the venue, also saw an 5-decibel reduction in estimated noise levels, from 62 decibels to 57 decibels, the study states.
Looking ahead
Construction work on the venue is expected to begin prior to the end of the year, according to the city’s website.
Permits for the project have been requested, Houser said, noting that the project is “ripe for groundbreaking.”
Prior to construction on the project, the sale of the land must be completed. The land, currently owned by the McKinney Economic Development Corporation, is expected to be sold to Venu for $35 million as part of the development agreement for the project. The land sale is scheduled for sometime in December, Houser said.
Additionally, neighborhood meetings are expected to be scheduled in the new year, Houser said. The meetings, which will be hosted by the developer, will discuss topics like traffic, egress, noise and project scheduling, he said.
“Having the final site plan complete so that we can speak to the specific attribute of how it’s going to be constructed and the impact in particular of sound and traffic were precursors to us being able to have an effective public hearing,” Mudd said at the meeting. “Now that we have all of that codified, it’s time to get those on the calendar.”
The venue is expected to open in 2026, the city's website states. For more information on the Sunset Amphitheater project, visit www.mckinneytexas.org/764/sunset-amphitheater.
