St. George council continues Rusty Cliffs South vote, approves Ledges unit shift, 5-0

The St. George City Council voted unanimously on Oct. 22 to continue a request to remove commercial space from the Rusty Cliffs South neighborhood, after several council members said residents in the growing area would need nearby shops and services ^[1].

The 49.3-acre project sits on the east side of Highway 18 between 4100 North and 4400 North, between The Ledges and the Trails development, and was approved in January with a traditional neighborhood zone. The approved plan had 380 homes. The revised plan would have 294, a net loss of 86 units, dropping density from 7.7 to 5.96 homes per acre. The change would remove commercial live-work and stacked units, leaving mostly single-family homes and some triplexes. The Planning Commission recommended approval 5-0 ^[1][2].

Councilmember Dannielle Larkin said she was concerned about the change and that the plan already approved was a good one. She said the build-out in the area could reach 5,000 to 6,000 residents. Councilmember Natalie Larsen said residents who live far from services have to travel back into town for what they need. Councilmember Steve Kemp said the proposal needed more work. Councilmember Austin Anderson said he saw the concerns but wondered whether enough homes were nearby to support commercial space ^[2].

A representative for the applicant said the worry was a slower return on commercial buildings, but said the commercial plan was feasible in the long term and offered to take the council's feedback back to the ownership group. Larkin moved to continue the item to the council's next meeting, and the record shows it passed 5-0 ^[1][2].

The council approved Ordinance 2026-081 on a 5-0 vote, amending The Ledges planned development residential zone on about 1,108 acres on both sides of Highway 18. A city planning staff member told the council it was the sixth amendment since the project was approved in 2004. The total stays at 2,600 approved dwelling units; the change moves units between areas ^[1][2].

On the west side of the highway, the plan would go from 840 to 854 units. East of the highway and north of the golf course, it would rise from 651 to 672. South of the golf course, it would fall from 1,109 to 1,074. The staff member said the Planning Commission heard the item Sept. 22 and unanimously recommended approval, and that staff received about 20 public comments, most of them letters. Larkin asked staff to show the public where the hotel site's road access would be, saying some residents worried it would run through the gated community off the roundabout. Staff pointed to the planned roadway and confirmed Larkin's understanding that it would connect to an existing stubbed-out road ^[2].

The council also approved Ordinance 2026-080, amending the Fields at Mall Drive phase two zone plan on about 2.24 acres north of Mall Drive and west of 2780 East, also 5-0. The project is known as River Bend Point. The amendment adds personal instruction services, such as music or art lessons or a yoga studio, to the allowed uses for a rear lot on the site that sits near a residential zone. Planning commissioners had recommended approval 6-0 on the condition that a master sign plan be approved for lots five through eight covering monument signage along Mall Drive, and the council added that condition to its motion. Staff said a concern raised by Revere Health about traffic stacking at the site's access had been addressed by moving the access north ^[1][2].

The council also approved its consent calendar unanimously earlier in the meeting ^[1].