CALDWELL, Idaho — A company seeking to open a 5,000 seat outdoor amphitheater in Caldwell has been denied by the Canyon County Planning and Zoning Commission in a unanimous 5-0 vote, but they aren't done just yet.
EW Real Estate, LLC, is the company who wants to develop the outdoor amphitheater with plans to add u-pick orchards, a cidery, and other agritourism supported activities called Sunnyslope Ranch. The proponents of the event area say that it could bring a massive influx of people to the area for more than just the occasional wine tasting.
But the Planning and Zoning commission has concerns, some of which are emergency services. Fire response and emergency medical response would require fighting traffic drawn by a 5,000 person crowd down a largely 2 lane road meaning that an serious medical conditions would require a life flight.
Residents at the first public hearing on the requested conditional use permit voiced concerns. Several people opposed the proposition, saying they really like the idea and can see the benefit to Caldwell, but plopping a 5,000 person outdoor amphitheater in the middle of an agricultural district is akin to "airdropping a disco ball into the middle of a field."
The developers are preparing an appeal, though no date has been set on the commission planning site as of the publishing of this article. We will continue to update this story.
ncG1vNJzZmihlJa1sLrEsKpnm5%2BifK%2Bx1qxmpaeTlrlwr8CnsKimXZi8trrTsmSdnZ6esrR5z6umqaejlrluss6rZG5oYGV6tLHArWSapaCdtrW0xJqrnqpdnrtur8Clm7CdnKF6pbHVnqOoqJWnwG7AzmaYqaiVlrk%3D