This weekend, a one acre park with a price tag of more than $10 million will open to the public, but with all the excitement comes some concerns.
On Monday, the Ellis' enjoyed lunch on the patio of Chuy's in Raleigh's North Hills. They were thrilled when ABC11 told them the lush green lawn below the patio is the new Midtown Park and amphitheater, which is about to open with free concerts this weekend.
"It's going to be fantastic, it's going to be great," said Jeff Ellis.
The folks at North Hills think so too. They are expecting thousands for every event.
"We think 10 to 12 [thousand], maybe more," said North Hills developer John Kane.
"I really can't visualize it right now...12,000 right there, maybe here and there a little bit to the side," said Mary Jane Ellis.
Kane says that is the beauty of the park. He says at least that many people come to North Hills beach music series on Thursday nights.
"They spread out and they're doing other things, they're not necessarily standing in one place," Kane said. "This you can move around, you can go to the restaurants; you can go to different places."
"It's going to be crowded, I hope they've got enough parking spaces," Mary Jane said.
Kane says more than 4,000 parking spaces are spread over both sides of North Hills.
This weekend is the official opening with several concerts and fashion shows Saturday and Sunday. A Sunday bluegrass series will also run through the summer, and the Ellises say they are ready.
"This could be a lot of fun," Jeff said.
The same man who designed the Shimmer Wall on the Convention Center helped design the new amphitheater and stage. They wanted it to be a nice place to hang out, even if no one was on stage.
Click here for more information about this weekend's kick off festivities
