2024 State of the City Address Shows Rapid Growth for Southern Utah

After a few technical difficulties with the live stream, various projects and updates for St. George have been announced through the State of the City Address.

Bear in mind this article will only cover some of the announcements made during the event, so please watch the full live stream for more information on topics related to the rapid growth of St. George.

St. George Mayor Michele Randall introduced a video from local businessman Macrae Heppler who’s known for informing the public on various projects related to retail throughout Southern Utah.

Highlights from the video include a second Sakura restaurant in St. George, A new shopping complex in Desert Color Parkway with a Chipotle, Jersey Mike’s, and Pizza Hut, and a new luxury Megaplex movie theater featuring a dine-in theater and a Swig located in the building.

Actor Kevin Costner will assist in building a movie studio near the St. George Regional Airport called Territory Studios which will feature 70,000 square feet of sound stages, 51,000 square feet of production warehouses, over 31,000 square feet of production offices, studio tours, and a Kevin Costner-themed restaurant.

Costner has been filming multiple productions in Southern Utah, and it sounds like he will continue to do so if the new studio is any indication. No word was given on when the project will be completed.

Utah Tech University’s Southern Campus out in Desert Color is expected to begin construction in Fall 2024 with the full project expected to take 20 years to fully complete.

Following the video, Mayor Randall provided an update on St. George Place, an area on Bluff Street with an abandoned K-Mart right next to Main Street. Hobby Lobby and REI Co-op will be available soon with Hobby Lobby taking the spot of the K-Mart and REI taking the spot on the other side of the parking lot.

Mayor Randall covered topics related to the Sugar Loaf, otherwise known as Dixie Rock which the mayor said was incorrect. A special park and trail will be constructed near the Sugar Loaf that will tell the history of the over location that’s been around for a century.

A new festival titled Dixie Days will take place starting the second week of September 2024 and will be similar to Santa Clara’s Swiss Days and Hurricane’s Peach Days. The St. George Rodeo will be a part of the event celebrating 90 years since its creation in 1934. More details will be provided as September approaches.

City officials are pushing for an air traffic control tower for the St. George Regional Airport as more flights continue to make their way to Southern Utah. The tower would cost somewhere between $15 million to $20 million and needs to be approved as a part of the Utah legislature.

This is only the first of many articles covering the announcements from the 2024 State of the City Address, but again, you can watch the full keynote, including updates on wastewater management from St. George City Manager John Willis.