An entertainment venue that would host fair-weather concerts, the circus, and various expositions may well turn Bayonne into a go-to place for entertainment, if the goals of a producer and the city administration are realized.
Robert Donnell Productions has reached an agreement to develop a temporary concert structure and trade show site at the Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor, across from the new firehouse there.
Late last year, the Bayonne City Council gave the okay to proceed with the plans at the former Military Ocean Terminal.
“We have a lease with the city. The resolution was passed. Payment was already rendered,” Donnell said last week.
The agreement is for Donnell to build a 30,000-square-foot shell, or pavilion, that would hold 3,000 people, and stage events at the facility for two years, 2015 and 2016, from June to October. A third year would also be possible under the pact.
Donnell has produced trade shows and concerts for more than 30 years, including at the Meadowlands Convention Center in Secaucus. He also has experience in the television industry and with Broadway musicals. He and co-producer Christopher Benjamin said they felt the timing seemed right to partner with Bayonne on the project.
Though construction had not started by early January, Donnell said the facility “should be” open in June. It would be constructed directly across from the firehouse, near Chosin Few Way.
Temporary steel arches are to be pile driven into concrete slabs. Over that, a durable, interwoven fabric will be attached.
With good weather, the sides of the pavilion could be raised, enabling as much as a thousand more people to attend an event there.
The cost for the temporary structure is roughly $400,000, according to Donnell. If the first two years of the pavilion are well received, a permanent structure might then be constructed, at a cost estimated at about $10 million.
=“There’s no cost at all for the city. In fact, the city gets paid rent. And they receive a portion of the gross receipts.” – Robert Donnell
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The city assumes no debt as part of the agreement, according to Donnell.
“There’s no cost at all for the city,” he said. “In fact, the city gets paid rent. And they receive a portion of the gross receipts.”
“We’ve done this in other locales,” Donnell added, “putting up our own money as an investment, and licensing the land to do the things we need to do. This project will improve the quality of life and not cost the taxpayers any money.”
Business Administrator Joseph DeMarco confirmed on Jan. 13 that all plans for the venue were moving forward.
The pavilion would be part of a larger, 180,000-square-foot open entertainment space that would run from the 40th Street bridge on Avenue E almost down to Rt. 440, near the large Port Liberty Cruise Port sign.
On a day with no rainfall, thousands more people could enjoy the venue in a fenced-in area, where they could bring lawn chairs, blankets, or just sit on the grass.
Featured performers could include musicians of the stature of Willie Nelson or Charlie Daniels. Ticket prices are expected to average about $40. Other events could include the Big Apple Circus, home and skiing expos, and car shows.
National production companies and radio station systems have also expressed interest in running events there.
Donnell said that corporate interest has also been very high, with CarePoint Health officials talking with him about holding a fitness and wellness expo at the site.
“The nice thing about it is a lot of the corporate biggies in town have embraced it right away,” Donnell said. “They want to know what they can do to help us.”
The entertainment site would draw thousands to the area and be good for local businesses, Donnell said.
Time will tell if the temporary site becomes a permanent one and reap long-term benefits for Bayonne.
Joseph Passantino may be reached at JoePass@hudsonreporter.com.