On Friday, January 17, 2025 at the start of the town board’s day-long annual retreat, the commissioners agreed to finance and build a free-standing theater somewhere near the Renaissance Centre where they were meeting.
The chosen model is estimated to cost between $43 and $53 million in addition to any costs for the one- to two-acre lot, which was not a consideration. The building will feature a 10,000 square foot flat-floor multi-purpose space with a 600-seat capacity, telescoping risers – think the seating in school gymnasiums but fancier – a full stage and wing space. There will also be large lobby, a catering kitchen and a variety of meeting and storage spaces on two sides of the building. There was no plan for parking space.
The positive aspects of a separate facility are a fairly conservative capital outlay. Mayor Vivian Jones said, “There are millions of dollars out there,” including Wake County’s capital investment fund.
The plan agreed on has the ability to accommodate future town growth, will also upgrade the Renaissance Centre which will continue operating, and it advances downtown development.
The town hired the firm Johnson Consulting based in Chicago to study the Renaissance Centre and the growing need for a new or renovated facility. The firm examined several options the town could take – everything from demolishing the existing Renaissance Centre and rebuilding on that site and the empty lot next door to a large facility separate from the Renaissance Centre costing $100 to $123 million.
They also visited several civic theaters that included the ones in Rocky Mount, Cary and Henderson, which has a 1,000-seat main theater. Out-of-state, they visited two theaters in Colorado.
Johnson Consulting also looked at the Wake Forest community, where they found “explosive growth” in the last 25 years largely made up of families, a highly affluent community and region, strong entertainment and recreation spending, and a high degree of arts interest. The Renaissance Centre director, Debbie Dunn, has found many events are sold out in hours or a day of its announcement. The conclusion was that Wake Forest “is significantly undersupplied in local performing arts and event space.”
They found that the Renaissance Centre is a “strong operation and vital community asset, with an extremely high event demand – more than an event per day on average, and there were 40 lost rentals in 2024 due to unavailable dates.”
After John Fleming ended laying out the process Johnson Consulting used and the mayor and commissioners had agreed on the size and cost of the future facility, he asked them to respond to several situations by voting – blue stickies for yes, orange for no – to several questions on about ten easels along the wall. The questions covered lot size and other details, and he did not reveal the answers.
Friday’s decision about a theater was just the first step. An architect must be hired, a search for funding must begin along with the search for a site near the Renaissance Centre. The editor has already chosen and discarded sites and anticipates her readers will be doing the same after Wednesday.
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12 Responses
I agree. Out of control town spending. Cut the tax rate if so much money is available. This, along with the train station (let them call it a Mobility Hub) which they just received, I believe 13 million dollars from the Federal government. Many of my fellow residents desire controlled spending and growth. Wake Forest does neither.
Y’all, we’d better raise up and shut this project down before any more money is spent (interesting that they chose an out of state group to spend money on already). I mean, SHUT IT DOWN. Pack the board room, fill their inboxes with feedback, contact the Raleigh news media, whatever it takes. The taxpayers have had enough of the out of control town spending in areas where it’s not needed.
mayor@wakeforestnc.gov
bclapsaddle@wakeforestnc.gov
fcross@wakeforestnc.gov
nsliwinski@wakeforestnc.gov
awright@wakeforestnc.gov
They work for US! Let them know how you feel. If they don’t act in accordance with your wishes, vote them out of office.
This is where the line needs to be drawn and new leadership brought in. This is the single most ridiculous proposal in this town’s history. Zero taxpayer dollars should be spent on something like this that benefits only a tiny fraction. If there’s such demand for it, let the private market build and sustain it. This must be stopped.
The Renaissance Center is currently subsidized by the taxpayers of Wake Forest because it has never turned a profit. I can’t believe they are talking about tens of millions of dollars to this project.
Even if they did build it, where are 600 people parking to attend the event?
The town originally bought “Tuxedo Junction” when it closed. TJ never made a profit. The cost to taxpayers was over $1 million. Then they spent another $150k or more setting up originally. The vendor who did that did cheap work with low end lighting and sound and it was so bad, a private sound company was hired to run the sound for the grand opening.
Since then, it has been a money pit. At what point do we stop throwing taxpayer money away to expand it and just figure out how to work with what we have?
There was no plan for parking space Should be the FIRST thing on their plan!!
Incredible news. WF is sorely lacking in theatre and performing arts. Less chains, apartments, and strip malls. More arts please. It’s what makes us human.
I can imagine so many community theater productions here. More jobs and entertainment options for residents and tourists. Opportunities for actors/actresses, musicians, stagehands, and tech staff. Theater camps and productions for the youth and adults alike. Community pride and culture appreciation. Very exciting!
With all the roads that are needed in this town, this is what they want to spend our tax dollars on?!
td
Is the Renaissance Centre profitable? If this is a great opportunity, why does it need to be government funded, why wouldn’t private investors do it themselves?
We’ve done rentals both before and after the town bought the Renaissance Centre, and with price we paid and the number of staff they had on hand, it’s hard to see how they were making any money even on that one event. When it was private there was one staff member for similar events.
Address parking. Thus needs t9 part of the overall plan. Why are people so inept?
Not sure where the land is. Not sure about the parking.
And it won’t cost much because it will be ‘funded’ by tax dollars!
As the song goes in “Paint Your Wagon”…..”I’m not certain where I’m goin’, don’t how I’ll get there…
…all that I know is I am on my way!”
Let me keep this brief…”W T F !?”
Where are people supposed to park?
I sure hope the seating has back support, and that it is not just backless bleachers.