Raleigh City Council votes to close part of South Street to relocate Red Hat Amphitheater

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A portion of South Street near Lenoir Street will close to support the relocation of Red Hat Amphitheater, following a vote by the Raleigh City Council.

There have been several public hearings and business owners have also weighed in on the plans.

The move is in conjunction with the expansion of the Raleigh Convention Center.

The city said it must expand the convention center to keep up with growing demand. The expanded convention center will go where Red Hat Amphitheater is currently, so in order to save the amphitheater it must move one block south.

Raleigh City Council chambers were full Tuesday as representatives discussed the vote. Business owners, restauranteurs and downtown residents packed the chamber wearing red hats and shirts in support of saving the amphitheater with a vote to close a portion of South Street.

During a public hearing before the vote, eight speakers voiced their support for the plan while three spoke up against it. Ultimately, the council voted unanimously for closing South Street and relocated Red Hat Amphitheater. They said they heard the concerns of some nearby homeowners but saw no other path forward to save the amphitheater.

"We need Red Hat downtown. Our businesses need it downtown; we need to have some type of entertainment facility. And quite frankly, we need the joy that it brings," Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said.

Still, city leaders acknowledged that they missed the mark when it came to public input on this plan. They said they could have done more to increase community engagement among those concerned about the negative impacts of the road closure.

"As a result of the haste, we are faced with settling, settling for a second-class solution which disrupts neighborhoods and other public works projects. The people of Raleigh deserve better," Michael Motsinger said.

Critics like Motsinger said they support having an amphitheater and the expansion plans. They just didn't like the process -- especially the speed of the process -- in approving this plan.

"Obviously closing South Street is not ideal, but big picture, we got a bigger amphitheater. That'll be better. It's good for the businesses downtown like ours, but really, it's good for all of Raleigh and the whole region. We have a great live music venue in the center of downtown, so we feel great about it," David Meeker said.

"The calls I take more than anything from people around the country, are 'we're coming to see a show here, where should we stay, what else should we go see, where should we eat? Please keep Red Hat Amphitheater in downtown Raleigh," said restaurateur Ashley Christensen.

"Supporting the move and expansion of the Red Hat Amphitheater is a vote for joy. Downtown needs to be something more than a bunch of cubicles that people go to two or three days a week," said David Brower.

Assistant City Manager Evan Raleigh said he expects South Street to be shut down for the project sometime in early 2025.