Townhouses and additional hotel rooms are being added to the Black Desert Resort in nearby Ivins. All photos by Tom Haraldsen/Salt Lake Business Journal
St. George is undergoing a substantial construction boom right now — across roads, civic buildings, tech campuses, residential and airport infrastructure. It’s hard to travel anywhere in the community and not see crews and equipment working, even in 100-plus degree temperatures this summer.
Milken Institute ranked St. George as the second-best-performing small city in the nation, with a job growth rate of 23.9 percent from 2018 to 2023, and a staggering 96.8 percent increase in high-tech GDP. So it’s no surprise that there’s so much construction and expansion going on.
TRANSPORTATION
Road and highway projects are ongoing in Washington County. I-15 work includes a $195 million addition of lanes between Bluff Street (Exit 6) and St. George Blvd. (Exit 8). New overpasses and underpasses at 400 East and 900 South are being designed, with work underway and expected to continue through
early 2026.
The Utah Department of Transportation is planning to resurface that corridor, raise medians, upgrade pedestrian ramps and create an active-transportation trail in downtown St. George. There are also plans to widen 3000 East to five lanes from Mall Drive to 2630 South. A conceptual Northern Corridor Highway, referred to as Northway, is currently on hold due to environmental pushback, but city officials are still hoping to make progress on it in the months ahead.
CIVIC/COMMERCIAL
Construction is underway on a new city hall at 61 South Main, across from a small park. The $45 million facility will include an adjacent four-level parking garage. It’s expected to be completed later this year.
At the site of the old St. George airport, the Tech Ridge Campus continues to expand. The 180-acre site is focused on three phases: office space, retail space and housing. It will also include 60 acres of trails, parks and open space.
The renovated Hangar C houses several small tech businesses, including Zonos, Vasion, BusyBusy and Intergalatic. The Planstin Administration Building that will include 100,00 square feet of Class A office space, is in the design process.
Along with offices and classrooms, Tech Ridge is designed to offer cafes, restaurants, brew pubs, shops and entertainment once it’s fully developed. The Cliffside Restaurant is open with stunning views of the city and outdoor dining on a terrace. The Tech Ridge Cafe is also open in the Dixie Tech College on-site.
Tech Ridge also plans to create a residential mixture of townhouses, apartments and condos on site, and one very unique feature, the Stairs at Tech Ridge. You can traverse up the side of the mountain on a 333-step staircase that covers 450 feet of elevation. It opened last January for the Dragon’s Tail Stair Climb Challenge, which will become an annual event.
The continuous construction at Black Desert Resort has significant economic impact for St. George and all of Southern Utah. The multi-million-dollar development includes a championship golf course that has already hosted both a PGA and an LPGA event, and will continue to do that going forward. Townhouses and hotel rooms are being added, along with other amenities. Plans also call for a waterpark and “downtown” shopping district at the site.
A complete rebuild of the St. George Place Shopping Center should be completed this fall.
AIRPORTS AND UTILITIES
The St. George Regional Airport continues to grow and expand, with a $15 million air-traffic control tower set for completion in 2026. There will be major terminal apron expansion and a new south taxiway connector completed. Not far from the airport, Fire Station 10 was constructed at 2070 E. Flowers Way, and Fire Station 1 is
being upgraded.
A $65 million water plant upgrade, which boosts its capacity from 17 million to 25.5 million gallons, has been completed. Regional wastewater expansion is also continuing. Water infrastructure enhancements include $9 million for the Graveyard Wash reservoir and $8.3 million for new water storage tanks. Plans are also being developed for replacement of sewer mains and clarifiers, as well as secondary water system improvements.
EDUCATION/COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE
At Utah Tech University, a new 120,000-square-foot general classroom building that should open this fall includes 45 classrooms, offices and
study rooms.
In support of neighboring Washington City, UDOT opened a new interchange on I-15 at Main Street, widening the travel lane in
each direction.
COMMERCIAL/RETAIL
While reconstruction is underway at the St. George Place Shopping Center, which should reopen later this year, REI has announced it will open a store this fall. The center is going through an extensive rebuild.
A new Hyatt-themed development and retail hubs, along with trail/path expansion and a skate park, are underway in neighboring
Washington City.
And one more “new neighbor” to add to the list for Washington County” the first phase of actor Kevin Costner’s new Territory Movie Studio has risen near the St. George Regional Airport. The $100 million project on 45 acres includes a soundstage. Costner said the studio is up and running and he hopes to get back to filming his third movie in the “Horizon: An American Saga” series later this year. A second building yet to be completed will feature more soundstage space and offices.
Construction crews are keeping busy in Southern Utah.