WATERVILLE, Ohio — Back in August, WTOL 11 reported on the "death" of the Waterville amphitheater project, a hypothetical 9,000-seat stadium that caused controversy and debate for a little over a year before the plug was pulled.
But Gary Yunker with Devonshire Reit, the development company that owns the land, said the project's death was greatly exaggerated.
"Yeah, the project's not dead. I mean we own the land and we have an approved site for an amphitheater," said Yunker. "We're now just waiting for some litigation to get resolved in Lucas County Common Pleas court."
They already have all of the proper permits, now they're just waiting to find someone else who's interested in building it. But the litigation they're dealing with is a civil suit against the city of Waterville from people who live right behind the proposed site. People who have planted signs in their front yards to make their frustration loud and clear. Their spokesman, Tim Plowman, said putting a major concert venue so close to home is a recipe for disaster for families like his.
"The noise is something they didn't adequately study as our council confirmed," said Plowman. "Those things are going to produce a lot of noise, there are a lot of young children in this neighborhood and in this city in general that need a full night's sleep before a big day at school or sports. We challenged that in court and that's pending a legal decision."
A decision that lies in the hands of Lucas County Judge Lindsay Navarre who's been deliberating on the suit since last November, a whole 13 months after it was originally proposed and much longer than Yunker ever anticipated.
"No, to be honest, we didn't think so, and I'm basing that on what we hear from the city of Waterville," said Yunker.
So until Judge Navarre makes her call, maybe the project isn't dead, but it's in stasis. Meanwhile, both men are confident that Judge Navarre will pick their side and their vision of Waterville will come to be.
"It will benefit the city of Waterville immensely," said Yunker.
"We don't live out here for concerts, we live out here for a quiet, peaceful safe place for our kids to go to school, for our grandparents to retire in peace, said Plowman. "That's what makes Waterville special."
Yunker said if they can't find anyone interested in turning this plot of land into an amphitheater, there are plenty of more options they're looking into that the land is already zoned for. He said they've just begun courting interested parties again, so it will likely be a few months before they make that call.
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