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A rendering of the proposed Vesper Amphitheater project in Provo Canyon.

Courtesy Vesper

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A rendering of the proposed Vesper Amphitheater project in Provo Canyon as viewed from U.S. 189.

Courtesy Vesper

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A look at changes to the resubmitted Vesper Amphitheater project was presented at a neighborhood meeting Tuesday night in Provo.

The proposal closely resembles the initial April application, with alterations to highway access, parking and the zoning process.

According to city staff, the new application changes the zoning requests for Vesper from an Sc3 Regional Shopping Center designation to a unique designation called the New Regional Entertainment Zone.

Staff said the new application caps total parking stalls at 6,000, with 3,700 to 5,400 stalls shown. Highway access was altered from three access points on U.S. 189 to one access point, with a roundabout and a bridge over U.S. 189. The site area was also reduced from 100.7 acres to 93-95 acres.

Plans still call for a 20,000-seat venue in the summer and an 8,000-seat enclosed winter venue, with up to 75 hotel rooms, restaurants, retail, trails and open space, city planner Andrew Jackson said.

The project was first announced by members of the Osmond family on May 19. Developers stated it would become the “gateway” to Provo Canyon that would transform an existing gravel pit into a world-class venue that would attract top performers and visitors to the city. If approved, developers would buy 66.5 acres of Provo City land to build the facility.

The proposal has proven controversial, with local residents citing concerns stretching from parking and traffic to noise pollution and impacts on the canyon. The Orem City Council has opposed the project, which is located near the Provo-Orem border in the canyon. 

The Provo Planning Commission recommended denial of the project in June, and it never came before the City Council, as the city and developer worked to address issues surrounding the proposal. The developer chose to resubmit the project in September, restarting the process.

“The longer we worked on those issues, the longer the development agreement became, the more obvious it started to occur to everybody that this really needs to be a unique zone,” Development Services Director Bill Peperone said at Tuesday’s meeting.

The initial application process also raised questions about compliance with new state law H.B. 535, which requires a city to post a 45-day notice before “selecting or making a proposed disposition” of significant public property. The city did not post a 45-day notice of its intent to consider disposing of the property until Sept. 1. 

City Attorney Brian Jones confirmed in an email to the Daily Herald last month that the city was unaware of the policy change when the Vesper proposal first went to the city. Jones said he could not speak for the developer, but he said that, to his understanding, the 45-day notice requirement was one reason for the decision to resubmit the bid.

Peperone said the developers would like their new application to be heard at the Planning Commission meeting on Dec. 9, though he said it might not be until January.

Jackson said the new application remains under review, with staff still working through several issues, including access and safety, traffic, parking and hillside and grading.

“Provo City staff is working to protect the city the best way we can, should this be approved by the City Council,” Peperone said.