Across the country, civic and business leaders are looking for ways to increase the quality of life within their communities. While the headlines are full of stories about the efforts of metropolises planning for new stadiums, arenas, and concert venues, smaller venues in mid-sized cities and temporary events that use existing spaces and facilities bring visitors and an increase in tax revenues without large-scale construction.
ESA’s planning and technical experts are uniquely experienced and have a deep understanding of the community and environmental issues associated with temporary events and small venues and have been helping events of all types be “good neighbors” within their community.
Being a Good Neighbor
Temporary events include festivals, concerts, air shows, and various sports activities that typically take place over a defined period and typically utilize existing spaces and infrastructure. A benefit of temporary events is that they rarely require new construction of permanent structures. While these events bring important cultural and economic benefits to the local community, they can also result in concerns about increased noise, light, and traffic.
All of these reasons make the consideration and study of environmental and community impacts that much more important ahead of project implementation as these issues can delay or otherwise undermine the success of the project. Our experience is that with a well-studied and creatively approached project, the planning for such events can be refined to help make the event a good neighbor. ESA is well-known for our work on major league arenas and stadiums, but there is a niche offering of services that we can provide for small and temporary events, like we have for recent projects.
One such event is the Pacific Airshow in Southern California’s Huntington Beach. Every year, the beloved event brings over one million spectators and aviation enthusiasts, who come to see the show’s aerial competitions and acrobatics, civilian and military aircraft flybys, drone shows, air racing, and helicopter and aircraft displays. ESA is working on an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the event, helping the city of Huntington Beach navigate set up of the event’s temporary structures.
Focusing on traffic, noise, and coastal biology concerns, the EIR includes an event program for the continuation of the Airshow for up to ten additional years beginning from year 2024 through 2034. This approach will eliminate the need for the Applicant to apply for a new permit each year, resulting in considerable time and taxpayer dollars.
Also in Huntington Beach, ESA prepared the Addendum to the Final Master EIR for Master Plan of Recreation Uses for the city’s popular Symphony of the Flowers event. Held in the largest city-owned park in Orange County, this event includes a temporary multi-media show comprised of over 100,000 luminous flowers and over 500,000 light-emitting diode (LED) lights choregraphed to symphony music. Of particular concern to the community, the EIR Addendum ensured that any adverse effects to the local bird population are mitigated.
In the Bay Area, on behalf of Stanford Land, Buildings & Real Estate, ESA prepared a noise study of music concerts at Stanford Stadium on the campus of Stanford University. Our modeling of concert noise demonstrated that sound levels from proposed concerts would be consistent with local noise ordinances and regulations and supported the granting of an event permit for these first-of-a-kind events at the Stadium.
Small Spaces, Vibrant Additions to Communities
While temporary events might differ in scale to larger arenas and stadiums, the same principles of positive public engagement and deep technical know-how apply to our work improve the ability of even temporary events to be good neighbors. Working with ESA can allow cities and project sponsors to create jobs, increase revenue, and build community good-will, while bringing culture, entertainment, and excitement to local communities. For more information, reach out to Brian Allee and Brian Boxer.
