WESTBROOK – Following separate plans made for possible outdoor concert venues in greater Portland, a South Portland proposal has faltered, while Westbrook’s plan for Riverbank Park heads for public input.

Last week, plans for a waterfront concert venue adjacent to South Portland’s Bug Light Park took a major step back, when potential developer John Cacoulidis withdrew an application for a possible 10,000-seat project.

Jon Jennings, South Portland’s assistant city manager, said Monday that during discussions with the developer on Friday, Cacoulidis reiterated that he’d like to “go in a different direction” and put together a master plan for the property. Jennings added that the concert venue development was envisioned as a short-term plan for Cacoulidis.

“Instead of an interim step with a performing arts venue, he’d rather begin to look at what he’d like to develop there in a long-term strategy,” he said.

Jennings said the city is still weighing its options, including looking at other possible locations, but that he doubts outdoor concerts will be on tap this summer. However, he said the outdoor concert venue project “is not something (the city) is giving up on. We’ll continue to look at available space in the city and hopefully identify something we can move forward with.”

In October, the city announced it was looking to develop property owned by Portland Pipe Line Co., but changed course after the company’s wrangling with environmental groups over barring “tar sands” oil proved a distraction. Cacoulidis then voiced interest in developing his 33-acre property near the park, which sits at 149 Front Street.

According to South Portland Planning Board documents, Cacoulidis’ application requested a “special exception and modified site plan,” which would have required Planning Board approval to create the event pavilion.

According to agenda documents from the Feb. 25 meeting, the applicant’s proposal consisted of “a bandstand area, event area, seating and vendor spaces, public restroom facilities, and circulation for vehicles and pedestrians.”

In Westbrook, a much smaller, 2,500-seat proposal is still being explored. City officials are hoping to hear more community feedback and weigh interest in the project that could reshape Riverbank Park off Main Street.

Bill Baker, Westbrook’s assistant city administrator for business and community relations said last week that he is currently working with Ward Four City Councilor Gary Rairdon, whose ward encapsulates Riverbank Park, to plan a neighborhood meeting to discuss the project sometime in mid-March.

He added that he also plans to encourage the still-unnamed concert promoter to come forward in order to move discussions along with city officials and the City Council.

Baker unveiled plans for the venue in February, stating that the city had been taking a “methodical” approach to exploring the project since September of 2013. He said that following any neighborhood meeting there will most likely be public discussions as part of City Council vetting.

On Tuesday, Baker said that the recent withdrawal of plans in South Portland doesn’t affect Westbrook’s plans.

“South Portland’s decision has no impact on our long running and careful analysis of this concept,” he said. “We expect the concert promoters, industry professionals and the concert market will determine future site selections, and we are pleased to be in that conversation.”

He added that music industry representatives have told him southern Maine can’t support more than one outdoor venue.

“Our opinion is informed by the industry experts who tell us that southern Maine probably could not support more than one of this particular size, based on how the promoters work and how the concerts get booked,” he said.

An environmental feasibility study has already been completed by a group of University of Southern Maine graduate students, and the city has received a complete financial estimate from Span Systems, Inc. of Manchester, N.H., an international firm that specializes in producing and installing large tent-like structures for outdoor amphitheaters. The estimate spells out that the project could cost between $500,000 and $1 million, which the city would recoup through revenue sharing with concert promoters.

A 2,500 capacity venue in Riverbank Park, along the Presumpscot River, would drastically change the makeup of the park, with preliminary plans calling for the stage to abut the American Legion Hall building, with amphitheater seating expanding outward into the park. The current playground would most likely be relocated to the opposite side of the parcel, near Legacy Publishing.

Baker said that, so far, feedback on the proposal has been generally positive, with most people believing that exploring projects such as this will only bring more economic development into Westbrook. However, he also said he’s heard concerns about the project, including noise, traffic and green-space impacts.

James Tranchemontagne, owner of the Frog & Turtle restaurant on Bridge Street, who has also organized small concerts in Saccarappa Park, believes a larger concert series would be great for the city, but said the city should start small.

“I’m not 100 percent sold on building an amphitheater, but I do really like the idea of having a temporary stage,” he said. “Having some national artists down there on a temporary stage would be awesome.”

In February, Baker said the park venue could be a temporary “seasonal” structure, or permanent, with the city exploring options for more uses during the winter months.

Tranchemontagne said he would be more in favor of setting up a temporary stage for the summer. “Start small, put the stage up, and see if it ends up deserving an amphitheater,” he said.

Referring to the Westbrook Performing Arts Center, Tranchemontagne added, “We already have a 1,000-seat theater here in the city that we barely use. I don’t see why we’d move to build an amphitheater before we get that theater running the way it should be.”

In February, Baker said the city would “strongly push” to tie any outdoor venue with the Performing Arts Center, and possibly attract more acts to the center during the offseason.