Santa Clarita to Consider Sites for Amphitheater

Santa Clarita Valley is one step closer to having its own amphitheater. On Tuesday night, city of Santa Clarita officials will present the Santa Clarita City Council with the Amphitheater Feasibility Study, an analysis of five local sites the city’s hired consultants feel could potentially become home to a future city-owned, medium-sized outdoor amphitheater with a capacity ranging from 3,000 to 6,000 seats. The city has been interested in creating an outdoor amphitheater since 2016’s City of Santa Clarita Arts Master Plan. Last year, the city contracted two consulting firms to assess an outdoor theater’s potential. Five potential sites have been determined: the former Whittaker-Bermite testing facility I & II, Vulcan I & II and Beale’s Cut. “We are asking the City Council to direct staff to continue to analyze those sites and begin to have discussions with the property owners and to seek private partners to help with the development,” City of Santa Clarita Arts and Events Manager Phil Lantis told the Business Journal. The city’s annual operating budget for the new stadium will be $1.4 million. The planned outdoor venue, named Santa Clarita Amphitheater, would be comparable to the 5,800-capacity Greek Theatre in Los Angeles or the 4,562-capacity Santa Barbara Bowl. The idea is to provide a new stadium to showcase about 70 events annually, including such city sponsored performance arts series and events as Concerts in the Park, Amgen Tour of California, Cowboy Festival, Santa Clarita Marathon and Thursdays@Newhall. Tuesday night’s presentation will represent the very beginning of the process. “We are at least six months to a year away from determining a site, and probably another couple of years minimum from beginning to develop the amphitheater,” Lantis said.