ROGERS -- Concert-goers will have to park somewhere new starting with this summer's performances at the Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion, a spokeswoman said.
The new parking area will replace space the venue is losing because Topgolf plans to build adjacent to the AMP where people typically park, said Daniel Ellis of Crafton Tull. The engineering firm is working on a section of parking that will be paved.
Plans filed with the city show the paved lot -- called Club AMP parking -- is to be built on South J.B. Hunt Drive across from where it is now. Club AMP parking is for people who purchase parking along with season passes. The new Club AMP parking lot will have 255-260 spaces, said Jennifer Wilson, spokeswoman for Walton Arts Center, which owns the AMP. The former Club AMP lot had 277 spaces.
Plans also outline space designated for free parking to the west and south of the paved lot. The unpaved lot will accommodate about 1,000 vehicles. The grassy area previously used for parking accommodated about 700 vehicles, Wilson said. Crossland Construction is working to level out the land and prepare it for parking.
The parking project is not a part of the $13.9 million expansion the AMP announced in November, Wilson said. The outdoor music venue will have more seating, restrooms, concession stands and other additions in time for its 2020 concert series. The venue's capacity will increase from 10,000 to 11,000. The parking changes were already in the works, she said.
"These two lots alone don't accommodate all of our parking needs even for this season," Wilson said in an email.
The office buildings around the AMP have parking lots not being used at night, so the AMP staff is working with building owners, business owners and developers, she said.
"So we feel good about parking options for patrons now and in the future," she said.
Crafton Tull will begin construction soon on the paved lot, Ellis said.
"Both of these new public lots should be complete in time for the AMP concert season," Wilson said.
The first performance scheduled for this year listed on the AMP's website is Christian music artist Chris Tomlin set to perform April 17.
Rogers Police Chief Hayes Minor said the changes with parking and the AMP's expansion may change the traffic pattern but not the Police Department's protocol for handling traffic and safety during concerts.
The Police Department works to provide an adequate number of officers during shows and will look at the best way to manage traffic and safety with minimum disruptions to nearby businesses, Minor said.
Texas-based Topgolf will take up more than 10 acres north of Pauline Whitaker Parkway and west of Interstate 49. Plans show a two-story building with 370 parking spaces west of the building and space for a public park.
The golf-centered venue will have food, beverages, music and a driving range for point-scoring golf games using microchipped balls, the company announced in May. Rogers will be the company's first Arkansas location. Topgolf officials previously said the project would create 300 full-time and part-time jobs and draw an estimated 250,000 guests annually.
A spokeswoman for Topgolf previously said the company would break ground this spring and open in 2020.
NW News on 01/14/2019