Proposed RV park outside Zion National Park rejected

A proposal to build an RV park, hotel and gas station near the northwest entrance to Zion National Park has been rejected by county commissioners who said the rural area wasn’t equipped to handle that kind of commercial development.


A company called Juniper Investors was asking the commission to rezone land near the town of New Harmony, Washington County, off Interstate 15. The area is near an entrance to Zion National Park that leads to a 5-mile scenic drive through the Kolob Canyons area. The park’s main entrance is southwest of there, about a 40-mile drive by highway to the town of Springdale, which already has dozens of hotels, restaurants, and outfitter and souvenir shops.


Park officials opposed the project because they worried the development would affect views from the canyon and overwhelm the limited staff that work the entrance. Deseret News

Best Friends Roadhouse and Mercantile to cater to guests and their four-legged friends

The new Best Friends Roadhouse and Mercantile in Kanab on Highway 89/300 West provides pet-friendly lodging. Best Friends founders and property developers, construction crew and staff have provided a facility where all buildings and lodging areas are pet-friendly. There is also a large pet park, complete with a water feature, a grooming area for cleaning up your pet and a stage on the property that will host some entertainment, as well as occasional animal education programs. At Best Friends they have four cabins, eight cottages and six RV sites. Southern Utah News

Best Friends Animal Society to open pet-friendly hotel in support of mission

The hope is that the roadhouse will provide a place for volunteers and adopters to stay while they visit the sanctuary, as well as inform visitors about their mission regarding kill shelters. Last year the sanctuary saw around 33,000 guests and over 10,000 volunteers.


The roadhouse will be located on the renovated property of a former Four Seasons hotel on Highway 89 and Center Street in Kanab, just 5 miles south of the Best Friends sanctuary, and will include a number of amenities to make the stay enjoyable for pets. They first began construction in December and expect to start taking reservations at the beginning of August, opening their doors by September 1. St. George News

Washington County Commission rescinds permit to build 20-acre RV park in Veyo

A proposed RV park that drew objections from Veyo and Brookside residents had an approved conditional use permit reversed by the Washington County Commission. The County Commission released its decision to reverse the permit the Planning Commission granted to Pine Valley Mountain Recreation LLC. The group proposed to create an RV park that sported 128 RV pads, 10 tents sites, nine mini-cabins and accompanying amenities. The RV park would be spread over a 20-acre area.

County zoning does not list an RV park as a permitted use, so developers applied for a conditional use permit allowing it in January. The County Planning Commission granted the permit in a 4-3 vote during a March 12 meeting amid opposition from Veyo and Brookside residents.

The residents, who voiced concerns about the project violating county code in various ways while also claiming it would negatively impact water use in the area, appealed the commission’s ruling. The appeal was heard by the County Commission in mid-April.

According to the 20-page decision, the County Planning Commission erred in issuing the permit based on the following points:


• The proposed density and use is not appropriate in an open space transition zone;
• A complete development plan was not submitted to the planning commission;
• Additional conditions regarding fencing, lighting and on-site management should have been imposed;
• There is insufficient evidence to support a finding that the proposed use will not create culinary water and fire protection issues. St George News

Brian Head Resort Makes Major Improvements

Brian Head Resort plans to add $6.5 million worth of capital improvements to the Navajo Lodge and on-hill facilities this summer. The biggest improvement is a new high-speed detachable quad chair lift. Currently, the Navajo side of the mountain is being served by a triple chair lift, and the replacement lift will mean both main areas at the resort will be served by high-speed lifts.

Brian Head officials are also planning to complete an expansion project to the Navajo Lodge, which houses the resort's ski school, snowboarding school, kid's camp, rental area, restaurants and dining spaces. The expansion will add a total of 12,000 square feet to the building. He said it's sometimes difficult to find space for guests to move around efficiently or find places to sit and eat on busier days of the year. The Spectrum

Controversial 147-unit RV park in Veyo gets rubber stamp, but appeal may follow

A proposed RV park in Veyo is causing unease for a group of concerned citizens who claim the venture isn't following county code and will cause long-term issues in their rural community.


The Washington County Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit Tuesday for the rural recreation ground — a project headed by Pine Valley Mountain Recreation LLC and Slade Hughes. Hughes, who owns several businesses in Veyo, plans to turn a parcel of land on north Cottam Ranch Road in Veyo into a recreation ground designed for 128 RV spaces, nine cabin sites and 10 tent sites, to be completed in several phases. The Spectrum

My Place Hotel breaking ground

Builders are breaking ground on a new My Place Hotel in Hurricane. The three-story, 46-room hotel will be the fourth My Place built in Utah, and the second in Washington County, joining one in St. George that opened earlier this year. The Spectrum

Grand opening celebration for Hampton Inn & Suites St. George

Sun River Hotel Group, a partnership with SunRiver Commercial Development, ISR Development LC and Wittwer Hospitality, hosted a grand opening celebration and ribbon cutting for its newest property, Hampton Inn & Suites St. George at SunRiver. The new 120-room hotel is joining more than 2,200 Hampton by Hilton properties around the world. The hotel group is also developing a second, resort-style, hotel adjacent to the new Hampton Inn & Suites that will complement the quickly growing commercial and residential developments at Exit 2 and Southern Parkway. St. George News

Lodging numbers for Cedar City LDS Temple open house below expectation

The three-week open house for the new Latter-day Saints temple brought more than 180,000 people to Cedar City last year, but recently released numbers show many of the visitors didn’t stay overnight.

Tours of the interior and grounds of the new temple ran from Oct. 27-Nov. 18. According to the results of Cedar City’s municipal transient room tax (TRT), approximately $20,447 was generated in 2017 — $388 more than the area saw the year prior.

November saw the biggest impact with a nearly $5,000 increase to approximately $14,373 in reported TRT compared to $8,936 in 2016. The 4.25 percent tax is added onto every room night sold at lodgings in Iron County. Cedar City also has an additional 1 percent municipal tax. The numbers were significantly lower than Iron County/Brian Head Tourism Bureau officials expected. The Spectrum

Record number of sports participants bring in over $78 million to St. George in 2017

Healthy competition has been good for the economy in Washington County. In 2017, 42 major athletic events brought more than 62,000 participants and over 116,000 out-of-town visitors to the area. The result was a whopping $78 million in direct economic impact, according to a news release from the St. George Area Sports Commission, thousands in tax relief for residents and hundreds of thousands more in media exposure for the area. St George News

Cedar City Business Openings and Closings

Das Nest—Located next to the Knight’s Inn on South Main Street, this new restaurant is bringing international cuisine to Cedar City each week. Das Nest is open every Friday and Saturday night with a limited menu featuring international dishes from a pre-selected country.

Iron County Courthouse—The Iron County Courthouse has re-opened in Parowan after being closed for more than a year for renovations. The $2.5 million project focused on fixing the outdated plumbing and electrical systems of the 42-year-old building.

Courtyard Marriott—Cedar City’s newest hotel is officially open. The 100-room hotel features a meeting and banquet hall in addition to four separate spaces for break-out sessions.

Porkbelly’s Express and Purple Oasis Acai Bowls & Smoothies—Two Cedar City staples have now found a home at Southern Utah University. Following the lead of Fat Zeus, Purple Oasis Acai Bowls & Smoothies has now transformed from a food truck to a storefront in the Sharwan Smith Student Center. Purple Oasis offers a menu of healthy food and smoothies, including the trendy acai bowl.

Nature’s Grocer—Nature’s Grocer quietly opened on south Main Street at the end of 2017 near Retro Fitness and the IFA. The health food store carries a variety of nutrition products, herbs, supplements and bulk foods.

Tagg N Go Express Car Wash—A Tagg N Go Express Car Wash is under construction on South Main Street near Ross. Construction is expected to be completed by June or July. Walmart—Walmart is about to undergo a major renovation starting in mid-February. According to a representative for the international chain superstore, the upgrades will include new paint and flooring.

Main Street Grill—The downtown breakfast and lunch spot shuttered early this year. The exact reason behind the closing of Main Street Grill is unknown, but it looks like the coveted space is already undergoing a makeover.

Funky Monkey Arcade—After multiple ownership changes since opening in 2016, Funky Monkey Arcade on south Main Street has officially shut its doors. The Spectrum

Slew of upcoming restaurants to grace St. George area in 2018

Filling the empty space that was once Players Sports Grill, located at 1688 S. Convention Center Drive, Guadalajara Grill is expected to open in late January.

The Black Bear Diner will add a second location just off the Washington Parkway exit as soon as June. The restaurant is expected to include an outdoor patio and will accommodate 295 patrons. Pieology is a make-your-own pizzeria chain headquartered in California with several locations across the Southwest. One of its newest will take the place of Wing Nutz, located in the Red Rock Commons. Wing Nutz is moving to another space near Outback in the Zion Factory Outlets.

Situated right on the border of St. George and Washington City, another Taco Bell is expected to open in 2018.

Kneaders is opening a second location in St. George in the Dinosaur Crossing shopping center. The new Kneaders is said to open as soon as this coming summer. It will accompany several new businesses including Smith's Marketplace, which opened in August. The Spectrum

Construction starts on $40 million 'City View' downtown St. George project

Developers gathered with representatives from the City of St. George to turn ceremonial shovels and signal the beginning of construction on a $40 million multi-use project pegged as a key step in building up the downtown area. The "City View" project is planned to include a planned four-story Boutique hotel, two four-story apartment buildings, retail shopping, restaurants and other commercial uses. The first phases, one of the apartment buildings and a parking structure, should be open by next fall. About 110 apartment units would be included. The Spectrum

Courtyard by Marriott opens in Cedar City

The newest hotel in Cedar City, a Courtyard by Marriott at 1294 Interstate Dr., has opened. The four-story hotel, which will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned and managed by Safari Hospitality of Cedar City, will feature 112 guest rooms, an indoor swimming pool, fitness center, guest laundry and 3,200 square feet of available meeting space. The Spectrum

New Cedar City Businesses

Several new businesses have opened or will open in Cedar City including Cup of Joe, a drive-thru coffee shop; Noggin Games, which caters to family gaming; The Stork on Main, a baby boutique; Harbor Freight Tools, a California-based hardware store; Hauptstrasse Markt, a German deli and the Courtyard Marriott hotel. The Spectrum

Café Rio to open in Santa Clara

Café Rio, a Utah original that has grown into one of the most popular Mexican-style fast casual restaurants in the United States, is opening its third Southern Utah location at 3540 S. Pioneer Parkway in Santa Clara. The Spectrum

New Restaurant for St. George

Guadalajara Grill plans to bring 'upscale' Mexican food to St. George. The restaurant will go into the old Players Sports Grill building at 1688 S. Convention Center Dr., near the Dixie Center and adjacent to Interstate 15. The high-traffic location has remained empty since this spring, an odd void in a growing city. While the restaurant’s menu will be about “65 percent Mexican,” Guadalajara Grill will also serve prime rib, steak and a variety of seafood including crab legs and lobster tail. The Spectrum

New businesses coming to Exit 13 in Washington

City officials are beginning to see a longtime goal of continuing commercial development along Washington Parkway come to fruition with the recent groundbreaking for an incoming diner and the announcement of a hotel nearby.

Currently the only business in the area, located on the east side of Interstate 15’s Exit 13 leading to Washington Parkway, is a Maverik convenience store and gas station. That is changing, though, with an Oct. 25 groundbreaking for a Black Bear Diner across the street to the south. Located to the east of Maverik is a large parcel of land with two signs. One shows an artist’s rendering of a potential “commerce and hospitality center” slated for the spot; another announces a forthcoming Best Western Plus hotel. St. George News

Hotel building boom hits southwest Utah

More than 400 new hotel rooms have been built in southwestern Utah since January, and more than 450 more are expected to be finished by year’s end, according to a market report from real estate services group NAI Excel. There are three new hotels under construction in St. George, four in Springdale and one each in Cedar City, Hurricane and Virgin. Later this year, four more are planned to go up in St. George, one more in Hurricane, one in LaVerkin and one in Ivins. The Spectrum

St George hotels are the busiest in the state during April

Monthly figures for April from the Rocky Mountain Lodging Report indicate St. George hotels were the state's busiest last month, filling 84.3 percent of their rooms nightly compared to 61.1 percent statewide. Cedar City had higher than 71 percent occupancy nightly during April. Salt Lake Tribune