Cincinnati City Council members are lining up behind a fresh cash infusion for the city’s next big music venue, proposing on Tuesday to steer $8 million toward construction of the Farmer Music Center, the new amphitheater planned for the former Coney Island site. The measure is sponsored by Councilmember Anna Albi and co-sponsored by Evan Nolan, Ryan James, Meeka Owens and Seth Walsh, and is scheduled to go before the full council on Wednesday. Supporters on council say the money would be locked in for construction costs as the privately led project shifts into its next phase.
Council proposal and the funding ask
According to Local 12, the resolution would route $8,000,000 from city accounts into the build and cites an overall project price tag of about $160,000,000. The sponsors, the outlet reports, framed the move as a public show of confidence meant to keep pace with major private funders and developers who are already driving the project.
What the Farmer Music Center will look like
Renderings released this winter show off a vertical, three-level amphitheater with 8,000 reserved seats wrapped around a 12,000-capacity synthetic lawn, for a total of about 20,000 people on a packed night. Music and Event Management Inc. (MEMI) and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra spotlighted that layout when they announced the Farmer name following a $60 million gift, as reported by WCPO. The outlet says the venue is slated to open in spring 2027 and sit next door to Riverbend Music Center along Kellogg Avenue.
Why Coney Island's closure still matters
The Farmer Music Center is planned for the land MEMI bought after Coney Island and Sunlite Pool permanently closed at the end of 2023, a decision that did not exactly go quietly. Petitions and protests followed from fans and preservation advocates, according to WOSU. Backers of the new venue argue it will deliver jobs and fresh tourism dollars, while critics contend the city and developers should have done more to hang on to historic pieces of the park.
Public money, private returns
Councilmembers pushing the $8 million describe it as a leverage play, a relatively small public stake they say can help unlock a much larger private project and the economic spin-off that is being promised, as detailed by CityBeat. MEMI has said its model is built so that net revenue from the venue flows back into Cincinnati Symphony programming, a point some sponsors have leaned on in arguing the city is not just bankrolling a private developer but indirectly supporting local arts.
What's next
The resolution is scheduled for a council vote on Wednesday. If it passes, city staff would start the process of moving the $8 million into construction accounts tied to the Farmer Music Center, Local 12 reports. MEMI and Cincinnati Symphony officials say they will keep rolling out updates as work advances and as details on hiring, traffic plans and community engagement are finalized.
