Following previous denial, St. George City Council approves Divario development

ST. GEORGE — The St. George City Council voted unanimously in favor of the next phase in the Divario development at Canyon View Drive and Gap Canyon Parkway.

A view of Gap Canyon from the land where a new addition to the proposed Divario development, St. George, Utah, April 18, 2021 | Photo by David Dudley, St. George News

The developer, Jon Jensen, at Davies Design/ Build, requested that 24.11 acres be rezoned from single-family to planned development residential. This would allow more units to be built on the 24.11-acre lot, which will consist of three multi-family apartment buildings, as well as townhomes, containing a total of 216 units. (See Ed. note)

“We’re happy the council voted yes,” Jensen said. “We’re looking forward to working with everyone to bring this project to completion.”

Though she was one of the more outspoken critics of the previous plan, previously reported on by St. George News, council member Dannielle Larkin said she was pleased with the new plan’s design, which would put the townhomes nearer to the Gap Canyon Parkway.

“The last time this development came before the council, it didn’t take landscape and public amenities into consideration,” Larkin told St. George News. “The tall buildings and the bright colors didn’t really work well with the landscape.”

In this file photo from 2019, St. George City Council members (L-R) Jimmie Hughes, Dannielle Larkin and Gregg McArthur speak during a candidate forum held at Dixie State University, Oct 2, 2019 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

Larkin added that she’s aware that many residents would prefer that the lot went undeveloped.

“But that’s just not legal,” Larkin said. “It’s privately owned. We must respect the owner’s and the developer’s right to develop the land. Our job now is to make sure they do as little harm as possible.”

Larkin said that she’d received questions from concerned residents, asking her why the city would allow the developers access to the roads.

“But the developers have shared in the costs of building those roads for 20 years,” Larkin said.

While building new homes in that location isn’t popular, Larkin said that it would ultimately help mitigate rising housing costs.

“The reason we’re dealing with hyperinflation in the housing market is that there’s a real scarcity,” she said. “If we don’t address that, the prices will stay high. As we add some new units to the market, hopefully costs will come down again.”

Ed. note: An earlier version of this article listed the project at 12.24 acres for a total of 184 units.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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