New Lake Of The Ozarks 'Aquarama' Venue To Swap Seats For Swimming Pools

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. — Plans for a proposed 2,000-person amphitheater near Backwater Jack's have changed dramatically: specifically, the venue is getting a lot wetter.

Owner Arapaho, LLC has submitted a plan to the Osage Beach Planning & Zoning board for what the city is calling an "aquatic entertainment venue." The proposed venue, right next to Backwater Jack's, would be shaped similar to an amphitheater, but instead of seating, it would have tiered swimming pools.

Plans submitted to the board reveal five tiers of pools, a video board, a substantially reduced stage for small music events and additional areas for bars and a souvenir shop.

The proposed name pays tribute to a Lake of the Ozarks throwback: BWJ's Aquarama.

Andy Prewitt, who is working with the city and represents the developer, told LakeExpo the change represented a "less intensive use… more in line with what we’ve got going on at Backwater Jack’s." He said the entertainment would not be concerts as originally proposed, but more like the kind of DJs and musicians one might see next door.

Arapaho—owned by local developer Gary Prewitt, who also owns Backwater Jacks and Lazy Gators waterfront bars, Shady Gators, as well as Prewitt's Point and Eagle's Landing shopping centers in Osage Beach and Lake Ozark—is requesting the board grant a revised E-3 (Entertainment) zoning overlay for the new entertainment facility. With a reduced stage, the new entertainment venue could be in use full-time, instead of the 12-event annual cap that was required for the original amphitheater design.

Notes from City Planner Cary Patterson point out the venue would not include concert-level audio equipment, since the stage and related performances would be smaller in scale.

If the request is approved, the city's requirement that Beach Drive (the road that leads into Backwater Jack's) be rebuilt would still be in effect for this new aquatic amphitheater. The road is to be rebuilt into a “collector status street” as determined by the city’s contract engineer, and Arapaho would be required to pay for it.

The P&Z board will consider the rezoning at their meeting on Tuesday evening, Feb. 8.