Old Town Lansing could soon be the home of a new amphitheater.
The state budget passed by lawmakers this year allocates $1.7 million in funding to the project near the Brenke Fish Ladder.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer still needs to put her signature on that budget.
Lansing Mayor Andy Schor says the funding will help create a permanent space along the riverfront for performing arts events.
"When we have Blues Fest or Jazz Fest or Dam Jam or Scrap Fest or any of the other many festivals that go on up in Old Town in the warmer months, now there'll be an amphitheater stage where people can perform," Schor said.
"It'd be another good amenity in Old Town as we continue to push all the great things happening and have all kinds of vibrancy."
Schor says the project is being led by the Capital Region Community Foundation along with some assistance from the Old Town Commercial Association. He adds a current rough timeline has construction on the amphitheater starting next spring and ending in the fall.
The city has also been allocated millions by state lawmakers in this year's budget to rehabilitate the historic Moores Park Pool and to find a new space for City Hall.
The state's fiscal year starts in October.
