By John Rogers
A massive and ambitious master-planned community has been announced for the St. George area. Among the largest developments ever in Utah, the 3,350-acre project, dubbed Desert Color, will consist of a commercial district, recreational facilities, a resort and 10,000 residences.
“Today, I’m here to formally introduce a unique and ambitious project underway in St. George,” Rhys Weaver, president and chief operating officer of Orem-based Clyde Companies, told 900 attendees at the St. George Area Economic Development Summit in St. George earlier this month. “It’s a master-planned community called Desert Color.”
Clyde Companies, Provo-based Blue Diamond Capital and Merrill Trust Group of Atlanta, partners in Desert Color, have been working for the past 18 months to bring the project to reality, according to Weaver. It will be located on Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) property east of I-15 and along St. George’s Southern Parkway near the Arizona border.
Despite the recent announcement, heavy equipment from Clyde subsidiary Sunroc Construction has been on the site for several weeks carving roads and building home sites and pads for businesses. Utility installation is scheduled to begin soon. Work has begun on the building that will house the corporate headquarters and warehouse for Paparazzi Accessories, one of Desert Color’s initial tenants.
Desert Color principals touted the project’s location in a press release. “Desert Color’s setting creates a unique opportunity to blend the natural features of the desert foothills with tried and true community design principles,” the statement said. “It emphasizes social connections, open space, recreational diversity, walkable neighborhoods, convenient regional commercial and retail services and hospitality, and will offer a variety of home types, styles and products to meet the needs of the community.
As part of the plan, Desert Color will feature nearly 210 acres of developed parks and trails throughout the community.
“We are proud to create a new, innovative community that will enrich the St. George area and the state of Utah,” said Weaver. “Desert Color is a decades-long project and we know it will succeed with the insight and guidance of our community partners.”
“We’ve been working closely with the Desert Color development team for many months now and we look forward to continuing our collaboration,” said St. George Mayor Jon Pike at the announcement.
“Washington County is familiar with Desert Color and its plan,” said Washington County Commissioner Victor Iverson. “We have had some good conversations with the project leaders and will work with them as they progress.”
According to Brook Cole, Desert Color’s principal onsite lead, the development is more than just a collection of homes, parks and businesses. “It is the manifestation of a balanced life that connects all that is good about the Southern Utah experience in one community, unified by a central vision — a community that will recognize and blend in seamlessly with the St. George way of life, while at the same time providing an exciting new way to live it.”
“The Desert Color vision is a big one,” Weaver said. “[It will include] 10,000 residences with single-family apartments and townhomes; a 103-acre commercial district with office space, shopping, recreation, health facilities, schools, cultural activities and a resort facility with crystal lagoons; 1,100 rooms that will be a mixture of hotel, resort and vacation condos; a recreation area with parks, trails and activities that promote a healthy lifestyle; and a golf entertainment experience for golfers of all skill and age levels.”
The St. George City Council voted early in January to approve rezoning for the first Desert Color construction. A 10-acre site was approved for building a Big Shots Golf Center. Plans call for a nine-hole professional putting course and an approximately 1,200-foot driving range. The proposed 33,000-square-foot, 45-foot-tall building will feature indoor and outdoor dining in addition to golf-related activities. “The Big Shots group has several of these throughout the country — it’s a franchise,” Bob Hermandson, the developers’ representative, said of the company behind the golf center.
When asked about timing for construction of Desert Color, Weaver said, “At present, we have made significant strides. If you drive out there, you’ll see the earth is moving in a variety of directions.” Property has already been purchased by some of the development’s initial tenants, Weaver said, including Paparazzi Accessories, which is building its new corporate headquarters and warehouse on a 13.5-acre lot.
The Desert Color property is located within the St. George city limits and is generally described as bounded by the Sun River development to the west, the Arizona border to the south, the Fort Pierce Industrial Park to the north and the Desert Canyon development to the east.
Weaver said that local approvals, private partnerships and sponsorships, home builders, groundbreakings and other key development milestones will be announced as the project progresses.