Optimism In Syracuse - Pollstar News

Legislators voted to build a $50 million amphitheatre near Onondaga Lake in Syracuse, N.Y.

Onondaga County legislators voted 12-5 Oct. 3 to borrow the money needed to build the shed, which would be part of a $100 million economic development project to spruce up the village of Solvay, according to the Post-Standard.

Supporters claim the 17,500-capacity venue would draw twice as many visitors as the Saratoga Performing Arts Center and, apparently because of all the top-name artists that will play it, will turn a profit in 2016, its first full year of operation.

Saratoga Performing Arts Center this year that prohibited the country singer from playing within 175 miles of the fair within six months of his visit. It also noted that all five Upstate New York outdoor venues are within 175 miles of Syracuse.

“One could say it would be a challenge at best for all the amphitheatres to draw the talent each one of them needs to be sustainable,” CMAC Executive Director Ginny Clark told the paper. The county officials’ healthy balance sheet excluded the $2.4 million the county would pay annually for 30 years for construction, according to the Post-Standard.