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Every year around this time, I am reminded that the Starplex/Gexa/SuperPages.com/Dos Equis Pavilion is a "mere" 1.4 miles away by the thumping bass of concerts (this time by Dave Matthews Band but variously Weezer, Slayer, Florida-Georgia Line etc.).
Incensed by the noise, I looked into the history of the Pavilion and it's really...Dallas. Apparently the whole deal was accelerated because Dallas was worried the DSO's summer concert series might be held in Carrollton who had offered to build an 80 acre venue.
This was after an "exhaustive, five-year search to find a suitable site for the series in Dallas." The DSO was "unable to find a suitable location because of neighborhood opposition, zoning requirements and legal restrictions." Including community opposition in Fair Park nbhd.
In Dallas fashion less than 4 months later the City Council, in a desperate bid to keep the Starfest, gave PACE Entertainment a sweetheart deal, favorable zoning, and millions of dollars to build an amphitheatre in Fair Park.
In another very Dallas move, PACE was required to pay 15 cents per ticket sold into the "South Dallas Economic Development Fund." So we could all feel good about blasting music into neighborhoods for miles around. The DMN declared it "a worthwhile project."
Other Arts organizations (and the DSO too funny enough) hated the Pavilion idea because it would make it so noisy and PACE got so much control others wouldn't be able to plan anything. PACE ended up having to pay $60,000 to help move the Shakespeare Festival.
"...symphony officials weren't at all anxious to go to Fair Park, which they had ruled out years before, mainly because of security concerns." Very Dallas.
The contract was so favorable to PACE that other concert promoters sued and a year later PACE agreed to a new contract. All parties agreed "mistakes were made" without anyone taking any responsibility, because it was really the whole Council's fault. SO DALLAS.
Among the things they agreed to was $100K for noise mitigation (hah) and limiting noise levels to 65 decibels at the edge of Fair Park (HAH) which can be described as about the same volume as normal conversation or laughter.
The City conducted a $10,000 acoustical study (after the venue was built of course) which found the venue violated the 65 decibel limit. PACE's engineers disputed this and the matter was dropped on account of nobody in power caring.
"We're asking them to make an outdoor amphitheater quiet. There's no way,' [CM] Mr. Rucker said. "That's like an airport with no planes.'
Acoustics are complicated, so it could really be that music that rattles my windows 1.4 miles away is really only 65 decibels at the edge of the park. If so, they chose the wrong measure.
In summary: Dallas spent millions to keep the DSO Starfest concert series (which was later cancelled), build an amphitheater (which would have been built anyway), and relocate arts organizations while bringing huge amounts of noise and traffic to the surrounding neighborhood.
This is so outrageous because it was 30 years ago and the exact same stuff has been happening ever since! The Calatrava bridges, the toll road, the failed econ dev projects, Patriots Crossing... It's maddening, decades of this nonsense and we're still doing it.
I didn't mean for this to turn into a political thread (I just wanted to complain about the Pavilion), but I just realized that if nothing else, @griggsfordallas at least speaks to ending the boondoggles , so he'll be getting my vote.
Just realized another crazy and very Dallas thing about the deal: those ticket sale contributions are what funds the South Dallas/Fair Park Opportunity Fund, which has not been without controversy. https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/south-dallas-fair-park-slush-fund-does-not-want-to-be-reformed-10546134
So not only does the City put a completely noxious use in an already down on its luck neighborhood (mostly because of the City in the first place) but it creates a fund to help the neighborhood that ends up just being a slush fund for connected insiders. Dallas has no shame.
