Provo leaders will start reviewing this week an ambitious and controversial plan for a 20,000-seat music venue in Provo Canyon — a proposal launched by some of Utah’s most famous entertainers, the Osmonds.
David Osmond, son of the late Alan Osmond of the famous singing brothers, announced in May that he and his uncle Donny Osmond will spearhead development of the Vesper Amphitheater at the site of an old mining facility at 6622 N. Highway 189, across from Canyon View and Mount Timpanogos parks.
The proposed venue’s seating capacity would put Vesper Amphitheater on a level with Salt Lake City’s Delta Center and Sandy’s America First Field, or a bit smaller than Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre in West Valley City.
The development would contain a state-of-the-art music venue, hotel villas, restaurants, retail spaces and up to 8,000 parking spaces, according to a concept plan included in a development proposal Vesper is making to Provo.
David Osmond told reporters in May that the project was “deeply personal” to him, offering “a chance to reimagine this area, to restore it and preserve it to create something for future generations to come and experience this together.”
Provo’s Planning Commission wasn’t convinced. After a June 24 public meeting that lasted five hours, where commissioners heard from Vesper representative Bryan Bayles and from the public, the panel voted 5-2 against Vesper’s request for a zoning change and approval of the concept plan.
Commissioners who voted down the request said the project was still in its early stages, was too big, and raised concerns about traffic and congestion. They suggested cutting the number of parking spaces in half.
Read the full article by Dylan Eubank at sltrib.com.
This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.