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Kevin Costner to build

film studio in southern
Utah, St. George mayor
announces during
address
Mayor announces Dixie Day celebration to preserve
area’s heritage and ‘Dixie Spirit’

(Mark Eddington | The Salt Lake Tribune) St. George Mayor

Michele Randall made the announcement during her State of
the City address.

By Mark Eddington | Feb. 14, 2024, 5:35 p.m.

Comment

St. George • Actor Kevin Costner is

partnering with a southern Utah developer to
bring a $40 million-plus film studio to St.
George.

That’s the biggest news that emerged from St.

George Mayor Michele Randall’s State of the
City address Tuesday to the crowd at the Dixie
Convention Center.

“It’s going to be a massive, massive addition to

the performing arts industry here in St.
George,” Macrae Heppler, a partner in a local
title company, promised in a video aired at the
event.

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Brett Burgess, president of Development

Solutions Group, Inc., is partnering with the
Hollywood actor and filmmaker to build
Territory Film Studios in a 500-acre industrial
complex near the St. George Regional Airport.
It will feature two sounds studios, a production
warehouse for set design and office space — a
combined 152,750 square feet. The plan for the
studio also calls for offering public tours.

It will further include a “Costner-themed”

restaurant that will also do catering, although
Burgess doesn’t know many of the details yet.

“That’s kind of Kevin’s passion,” Burgess told

The Salt Lake Tribune after the mayor’s
remarks.

Costner’s interest in building a studio was

borne out of his frustration last year in finding
a warehouse to shoot some interior scenes
when he was filming “Horizon: An American
Saga.” The four-part series, which will depict
the settlement of the West during the Civil
War era, employed a cast and crew of more
than 400 people and pumped an estimated
$90 million into the St. George economy.

Territory Film Studios is a project by Kevin Costner and will be

located in St. George.

“Horizon is the largest film production that’s

ever been filmed in Utah,” said Joyce Kelly,
sales manager for the Greater Zion Convention
and Tourism Office, who helped Costner scout
possible filming sites in southern Utah for the
series.

By all accounts, Costner fell in love with the

area and expressed interest in building a
studio in St. George. Burgess entered the
picture when Greater Zion officials called him
to assist Costner in finding a temporary
location to film some interior shots.

Tourism officials say the studio will be another

bright light in southern Utah’s business
firmament. What’s more, Kelly said, it is sorely
needed.

“We have 4,000 students in film schools in

higher education throughout Utah, and we
have very little incentive for them to remain
here,” she said. “So our students graduate and
end up having to go elsewhere. Hopefully, our
students will now be able to graduate and work
on more films at the studio. And the film
industry actually pays a wage that will sustain
families, which is important.”

Construction on the studio is expected to get

underway next fall.

Coming attractions

Territory Studios may have been the marquee

attraction during the mayor’s presentation but
it was hardly the only one. Among the other
coming attractions city leaders mentioned —
but provided few specifics about — are a luxury
movie theater and bowling alley that will be
built near Desert Color, a large master-
planned community located just off the
Southern Parkway.

Other developments along the parkway that

Randall and Heppler teased include
Intermountain Desert Color Parkway
Emergency Services, a medical campus
Intermountain Healthcare will construct on 30
acres about a mile east of Interstate 15.

Also on the drawing boards for the airport area

is a Utah Tech University west campus and
accompanying innovation district, which will
be situated on 183 acres the university
purchased with funds allocated by the
Legislature.

Closer to downtown, Randall extolled the

impending arrival of Strap Tank, a popular
brewpub that will be located somewhere off
Dixie Drive. She also provided a progress
report on the new $45 million city hall, which
is under construction on 61 S. Main Street.

St. George’s current city hall was built in 1980,

when the city’s population was 13,000, as
opposed to nearly 100,000 today.

“We’ve outgrown it, plain and simple,” Randall

said. “This new facility not only gives us
enough space to better conduct city business
now and into the future but it also comes with
a public parking structure, a beautiful plaza
and 4,300 square feet of civic space.”

Doubling down on Dixie

A popular namesake in St. George over the

years, the word “Dixie” has also been
polarizing. Early settlers sent by pioneer leader
Brigham Young to establish a cotton mission
called the area “Utah’s Dixie” due to its warm
climate that reminded them of the American
South.

In July 2022, Dixie State University was

renamed Utah Tech over the heated opposition
of some longtime residents. Supporters of the
change argue the word “Dixie” evoked images
of the Confederacy and white supremacy.
Conversely, opponents contended the term
“Dixie” honored the area’s heritage.

St. George leaders appear to fall in the latter

category.

“Washington [City celebrates] Cotton Days,

Santa Clara has Swiss Days and Hurricane has
Peach Days,” Randall remarked during her
speech. “St. George has no days — until now.”

Randall announced St. George will be hosting

its inaugural Dixie Days, an annual event that
will take place the second week of September
and feature a rodeo, art, music and food.

“A committee has been formed with the goal of

making Dixie Days a unifying experience
celebrating our shared history and a vibrant
community that defines St. George, Utah,” the
mayor added.

In keeping with the city’s “Dixie Spirit,”

Randall added, St. George is set on creating an
interpretive trail at Pioneer Park that will
educate residents and visitors about Native
Americans, the early pioneer settlers and why
the area is called Dixie.

Randall’s announcement comes a year after

Sugarloaf, the large red sandstone rock
inscribed with the word “Dixie” that overlooks
downtown St. George, was recognized as a
historic landmark by the Utah Historic
Preservation Office. It is also now listed on the
National Register of Historic Places. The iconic
landmark was created more than a century ago
by students of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints’ Dixie Stake Academy.

Building and conserving

In his remarks, St. George City Manager John

Willis said 2023 was a bit of a mixed bag when
it comes to the number of building permits
issued. The number of building permits issued
for single-family homes (617) was down from
the 836 issued the previous year, he said, while
permits for multifamily homes increased from
301 to 416. The total value of the permits
issued last year is $328.5 million.

Willis said 2024 is shaping up to be a banner

year. In January alone, the city issued permits
with a combined value of $77 million.

“That’s probably the biggest January we’ve

ever had,” the city manager said.

While St. George’s population and business

growth continue to grow at a rapid rate, Willis
noted, as does the amount of water the city is
conserving. Since 2022, the city has removed
279,000 square feet — 6.4 acres — of sod, thus
saving nearly 18 million gallons of water per
year. If you look at the entire area, not just
within the city limits, he added, about 1.1
million acres of grass — 25 acres — has been
removed thus far.

“That’s enough grass to roll an 18-inch-wide

[strip of] grass from here to Las Vegas and an
additional 20 miles, which is a great thing and
… shows what a great community that we live
in,” Willis said.

Conservation groups have long contended that

southern Utah residents use too much water
and criticized elected officials for doing too
little to conserve the precious resource. Willis,
however, said the city has added 200
connections since 2017 while reducing the
amount of water used by 250 million gallons,
roughly 767 acre-feet.

“That’s a credit to everyone who is doing their

part,” the city manager said.

meddington@sltrib.com

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