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An AI-generated rendering of Vesper Amphitheater is shown.

Courtesy Provo City

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A screen grab shows a neighborhood meeting Monday, June 1, 2026, at Provo City Hall.

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David Osmond speaks at an event announcing plans for Vesper Amphitheater Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Provo Canyon.

Jacob Nielson, Daily Herald

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Residents met with a developer of a proposed amphitheater in Provo Canyon at a North Timpview Neighborhood meeting Monday night to learn more about the project and express their concerns.

Vesper Amphitheater, pitched as a 20,000-seat outdoor concert venue on existing quarry land at the base of Provo Canyon, was announced by members of the Osmond family on May 19. The news prompted pushback from environmental groups and some Provo residents.

On Monday at Provo City Hall, Development Services Director Bill Peperone explained the application process for the proposal, and a spokesman for the developer, Brian Bayles, shared further details of the project’s vision.

“The heart of Vesper is the natural setting, the canyon, the river, the trails, the views and the outdoor experience are what make this opportunity unique,” Bayles said. “The venue, hospitality, parking, restaurants, trails, open space and public areas are intended to support that setting, not overwhelm them.”

His presentation was followed by a public comment period, where neighbors spoke in opposition to the project.

“I think that the Vesper project is a public safety and quality of life crisis waiting to happen,” Provo resident Tina Bean said. “Provo Canyon is the closest venue for people to escape from the noise of the city. It is a vital place for people to go to picnic and bike and hike and rock climb and just decompress. … Just because people want a world-class venue in our canyon does not mean we need that and want it.”

The project proposal 

The proposed 100-acre venue located south of U.S. 189, across the street from Timpanogos Park, would be transformed into a venue that project organizers envision the top musical talents performing at, along with some commercial amenities and parking.

“I know they’re going to say, ‘You got to play Vesper,’ not just because the audiences are amazing, but because of the ambience, the venue itself, the beauty, the year-round opportunities for entertaining here,” Donny Osmond said on May 19.

David Osmond told the Daily Herald last month the goal is to break ground in spring 2027 and open the facility by fall 2029. That timeline is contingent on city approval of various applications.

Parcels of the privately-owned 100.7 acres are currently designated in the general plan as agriculture and parks and recreation or open space, and zoned as agricultural, public facilities, or open space, preservation and recreation.

Developers are requesting a general plan amendment to commercial land use, a zone map amendment to a regional shopping center zone and a concept plan approval to allow for entertainment and hospitality. Peperone said a development agreement will limit what commercial uses can go on the property.

The zone change and general plan applications will receive a recommendation from the planning commission and go before the city council for approval. The concept plan request will be decided by the planning commission. If a zone change is granted, Peperone said the developers will have to go back through the process and propose a detailed project plan to the planning commission.

“It’s part of a project plan stage that a traffic study is required, the geotechnical studies are required, UDOT has to give its input on access,” Peperone said.

Bayles said Monday the property is not impacting “pristine open space” but would improve an area shaped by years of gravel mining that lacks public access.

“The question is, what should happen next with this specific long-disturbed property at the mouth of the Provo Canyon?” Bayles said. “Should it remain as it is, or is there a way to restore and reuse this site in a way that removes an active industrial use, creates public benefit, improves its access, respects the canyon setting, and is held to a high standard through the city’s review process?”

He said developers would restore about 60 acres of the property into open space and create trail connections protected by conservation easements. The design, Bayles said, would be in compliance with a development agreement and take into account feasible parking, traffic and environmental concerns. 

“Our position is that those questions should be studied carefully, priced accurately, reviewed publicly, and used to shape the final project,” Bayles said. “We do not just want to know whether people are generally for or against the project. We want to understand what people value most about Provo Canyon. We want to understand what concerns people. We want to know what issues you believe must be studied carefully before decisions are made.”

Public pushback 

A prevailing sentiment from those who spoke during the public comment period Monday was that they did not want to see a new venue disrupting the canyon. 

“Does a massive venue for concerts and conferences help preserve the Provo Canyon corridor, or will it shift its use where users will seek recreation elsewhere because of concerns of negative impacts?” Provo resident and Conserve Utah Valley Executive Director Kaye Nelson said. “We believe this is a project with value, but in a very poor spot.”

Specific concerns ranged from the pace of the project — from being announced last month to going before the planning commission June 10 — to environmental and congestion questions. 

Ginny Smith, of Provo, said during the meeting that the speed of the project does not reflect the stewardship the city has put into protecting the hillside land in the neighborhood. 

“As neighbors, we expect the planning commission and council members will require this proposal to be properly vetted, take the time to consider the impact of the project, and act as wise stewards of city property and the hillside canyons that we treasure.” 

Elliot Nelson, of Provo, questioned the heat generated from blacktop surfaces and how much water the project will need to use. He said the crown jewel of the canyon is already there, nature, and that it doesn’t need human help. 

“We need to preserve our canyon for future generations, and if the Osmonds really wanted to honor the mountains, they’d leave them as they are,” Nelson said. 

The logistics of getting 20,000 people in and out of the concert venue for shows were questioned by a Provo resident with the last name of Franklin. He likened it to a concert at Utah First Credit Union Amphitheater in West Valley City, where he said parking stretches into the surrounding neighborhoods and traffic is an issue. 

“I imagine taking the USANA Amphitheater, which is 20,000 people, and placing that at the mouth of Provo Canyon, where there is effectively one road out (to the Wasatch Front). … Realistically I don’t see how you could ever do that. It doesn’t take an impact study or a traffic study,” Franklin said.