Takeaways from Octobers Ivins City Town Halls
and the history and future of planning
and development in Kayenta

by Matt Marten

Town Hall Meetings – Ivins General Plan

Perhaps you recently attended one of the town hall meetings hosted by Ivins City.  The meetings were to discuss the City’s General Plan.  It was moderated by Judy Gubler and Mayor Chris Hart helped to answer questions that came up from those in the audience.  City Council members were also in attendance but did not participate. They were there to listen and learn what residents’ thoughts, perceptions, and ideas may be.

Overall, I thought the meetings were a great idea.  These gatherings gave residents the ability to voice opinions and dream a bit about what our city should look like and how it should function.  For the most part, residents were polite and willing to look at creative options to create a livable future.  I know I am preaching to the choir when addressing Kayenta residents, but we all envision a serine community environment that is nature/environment focused with some engaging community activities and events. The arts have always been a part of the fabric of our community and outdoor exercise and recreation is a passion of many.  This is the dynamic we have been working to create in Kayenta for the past couple of decades.

As we have seen the explosion of development around the city it has prompted a reaction of concern for the future of the area.  More houses, more apartments, more commercial, more traffic, more people!  Needless to say, the pace of development has caused concern among residents.   A fair amount of discussion occurred around the desire to maintain open spaces and park areas for higher-density developments.  The visual appearance of higher-density developments was also a topic and a desire for more attractive exteriors was voiced.

An overwhelming voice to halt short term-rentals within Ivins was expressed, most likely as a repercussion of the extensive Black Rock Resort development on the east side of the city.  A question arose about “vacation rentals by owners” which Mayor Hart quickly confirmed were not permitted in Ivins unless it was approved for that purpose in a commercial zone.  He also mentioned it was difficult for the city to regulate such illegal rentals.

The conversation turned to focus on general commercial development within the city.  While some would like to see a limit to commercial development it was also pointed out a need for commercial businesses to bolster the city’s tax revenues.  The discussions resulted in an understanding of the need for commercial in the city, but questions lingered about the type of commercial entities that would be appropriate for our area.

I have been around Ivins/Kayenta just long enough (32 years) to recall the work that has been done over the decades to steer Ivins toward better quality planning and development.  In some cases, we have been successful but in other cases, the goals have been elusive.  I think it is important to recall some history as we look toward planning our future.

The Kayenta Bubble and Planning Interface with Ivins City

Kayenta is a unique bubble in the madness of the real estate and land development world.  The initial planning and concepts that were imagined over 50 years ago still hold firm today.  It takes all of us to work together to maintain the concepts that Kayenta was founded on and grow in creative ways.  For decades, Terry Marten and Kayenta residents have worked diligently to maintain our concept while bringing other parts of Ivins City along with us.  Over the years, Kayenta has influenced the development of the city and has had positive impacts on design, materials, colors, signage, and lighting.  The work continues today.  

Some of you may recall the planning that took place almost two decades ago: Envision Utah and Vision Dixie.  Some of you may have even participated in the planning.  In short, the plans were to create diverse and walkable neighborhoods with sensitivity to the environment, etc.  It was a good generic road map on how to create a wonderful and livable environment but lacked specifics on how to achieve the results.  Needless to say, some of it was implemented and in some cases was completely ignored.

Around this time Ivins also did a fair amount of planning.  Terry Marten and Kayenta were part of those conversations along with other residents and planners.  It was a time when Ivins reached a fork in the road and had to choose which direction to go.  There was still a fair amount of open land and agriculture.  It was a patchwork of alfalfa fields, junk yards, random houses, planned developments dirt, and paved roads.

Resort Commercial – a Destination Community

While residential development was a given, a group of us started working with the city on a plan to steer commercial development.  We all knew the city would need to have a commercial element to be balanced.  No city can rely on its residential residents to shoulder the tax burden of maintaining infrastructure alone.  Business tax revenues are needed to produce a large percent of a city’s revenues.  Right now, residential developers are building the infrastructure and new construction is paying impact fees to fund the city coffers, but this is not a sustainable income source and will stop flowing once everything is initially built.  Along with property taxes, a commercial tax base is needed to help maintain roads, parkways, lights, parks, and other city amenities.  The question is what type of commercial would be appropriate for a small city that is on the edge of the county with an uninhabited wildland interface surrounding it?  Lucky for us, we are not surrounded by other cities and largely populated areas. The drawback to this geography is that we have limited ability to draw folks in to spend money and create tax revenues from surrounding areas.

Since big box stores and car dealerships need to be surrounded by a larger population center or adjacent to a freeway those options would not be viable.  So, what type of commercial is appropriate for the edge of an urban/suburban area that is off the beaten path?  The best solutions for commercial revenue might be supply yards, storage units, and industrial or manufacturing operations!  Believe it or not, there was plenty of interest in making Ivins the junkyard and warehouse district for Washington County.  Of course, this was not acceptable to most of us, so our group worked to transform that thinking.  We looked at the assets our city already had working for it: Red Mountain Resort, Tuacahn Amphitheater, Kayenta Art Village, and Snow Canyon State Park.  These assets formed the basis of our argument to encourage the softest commercial revenue source we could imagine: Resort Commercial.  Because Ivins was perceived to be “far away” from St. George we carefully selected the description or subtext of “destination” to describe our city and its environment commercial businesses and residential attributes.  One of Ivins City’s personalities would be known as a Resort Destination Community.  We were already attracting visitors to spend money in our community, and we continued to need them.

As part of the Kayenta vision, the Resort Commercial designation fits nicely into the type of commercial we want to see in our community.  In fact, the Kayenta Art Village, community swimming pool and pickleball courts are in a Resort Commercial zone.  We have worked for decades with the city to help determine the best locations for businesses in our area.  The Ivins City Land Use Map is a good place to start your research into what has been planned.  While the Land Use Plan does not show much detail it is a guide for buyers, residents, and the city to guide in the planning of our zoning.  This is a conceptual agreement that should be adhered to. Decades of planning and investment have been determined driven by this map.

For decades now, Kayenta has been slowly developing.  We don’t see any abrupt changes to that rhythm any time soon.  Our vision has been to create a balanced community with a large residential component.  Most of the meeting spots, activities, and events are supported by commercial enterprises that have grown in our community.  As housing expands so will our commercial businesses.  Resort Commercial business that exists or will expand include: Xetava Gradens Café, coffee pastry bar, craft cocktails, yoga, fitness, real estate, art framing, gift store, jewelry shop, photography gallery, art gallery, pottery studio, design office, art center (arts and entertainment), art co-op and lodging.

Continued growth of Resort Commercial

Even with an outcry to limit short-term lodging, I am hoping we will continue to find support from our community to allow a modest amount of hospitality and short-term lodging within Kayenta.  Of course, the projects would be consistent with the spirit and concepts of Kayenta.  We have had projects in planning for the land at the corner of Kayenta Parkway and Kwavasa Drive for decades.  In fact, the land has finally been purchased for the aforementioned project after years of negotiations.  Additionally, we have been planning for the area south of Ivins Reservoir we call Crescent Moon Village.

This hospitality project would be modest in scale and low in profile.  The goal is to create an environment that fits nicely within the community and supports our residents along with the businesses in the village and the Center for the Arts.   In 2019 (pre-pandemic) we presented the “Kayenta Casitas” project that would offer two dozen casitas along with a restaurant, meeting rooms, gym, yoga room, and relaxation pool and spa.  At that time, we had great support for the project, and we have been slowly making progress on planning.  The Kayenta Casitas and Crescent Moon Village projects would not only support the needs of guests but also provide spaces available to our community.  Since we do not have HOA-funded recreation spaces and meeting rooms, it has been imperative to partner with commercial businesses to support the need.  We believe that these projects would be a perfect centerpiece to our community offering community gathering spaces both indoors and out.

In our planning, we understand that fully managed short-term lodging would be the preferred alternative to short-term vacation rentals by individual owners.  Short-term vacation rentals by owners are typically unregulated and do not offer the onsite management that fully managed hospitality space would maintain.  The key is to attract like-minded folks that are appreciative of our natural surroundings, the arts, outdoor recreation, and hopefully good food – my wish for the future.

Any proposed project should be based on its merits and value to the community.  I would propose and hope you would support that the types of commercial projects planned for the city should meet several requirements and support the adjacent residential communities.  These developments should include friendly access by foot or by bicycle. Spaces to congregate, recreate and meet should be part of the planning.  Open spaces, parks, and access to art should be fundamental.  All ages should be welcome.  Commercial projects can offer a solution to the needs of the community if the city encourages a certain amount of the space is offered as part of a conditional use.

We hope you will always help and support creative solutions for development that will support the betterment of the city and well-being for all.

Kayenta’s Real Estate Market

By Steve McAllister

After a white-hot two years in the local real estate market, one which saw stratospheric increases in “price per square foot” for homes sold across the entire Kayenta community, we are lately seeing a “correction” (definitely not a “crash”) in the price of homes most recently sold.  Home prices, which soared as high as 70% from pre-pandemic prices through the Summer of 2022, are now retreating, on average, somewhere between 5-10% from their apex from just 3-4 months ago.

Why the sudden change in the market?  A perfect storm of rising interest rates, surging inflation, volatility in the stock market, uncertainty of upcoming mid-term elections, the impact of war in Ukraine on global food and energy prices, and other factors all are contributing to the current situation.

Here at Kayenta Homes & Properties, we’ve noticed a significant drop off in foot traffic passing through the office from interested buyers and the volume of calls from outside agents.  Open houses where multiple above-asking-price offers are collected afterwards from interested buyers have quickly evaporated.  Instead, we are seeing a return to a more traditional, stable, and sustainable market where homes listed for sale typically take between 3-4 months on average to close.  

We are noticing that older homes (especially those which could benefit from some updating) have been the first affected.  Time on the market has increased for these homes while price cuts are once again required at times.  On the other hand, we are still seeing targeted interest in homes that “check the boxes” in terms of desired features (e.g., concrete floors; modern design; floor-to-ceiling glass) from qualified buyers.

If you’ve been considering listing your home for sale but are now wondering if the timing is right in light of current market dynamics, give Jeff, Steve, or Naomi a call at 435-628-7234.  We’re always happy to meet with our neighbors and to share our professional insights and complimentary analysis.

Your Kayenta Home and Properties Sales Team:

Jeff Sproul, Principal Broker
Steve McAllister & Naomi Doyle, Sales Agents
435-628-7234   www.kayentahomes.com