ARTS & CULTURE INTEGRATION
Heart of History, Arts and Events

Downtown embodies the foundation of our historic settlement as well as creative expression of our current culture. With a designated Arts District, Downtown is the ideal place to cluster and promote a rich diversity of venues, events, and performances. In addition to their inherent value and contribution to lifestyle, arts & culture are an important economic driver in Downtown.



To enhance access to cultural, arts, and historic assets in Downtown, St. George will strive to:

Protect Historic Assets and Character

Historic buildings preserve heritage and lend character to Downtown, valued by the St. George community and history-loving visitors. New development in areas with historic character should complement but not replicate historic features.

Promote historic assets and interpretation of Southern Utah’s Pioneer history.

Connect Downtown to surrounding historic, archeological, and cultural assets with public access, and protect any such assets as may be discovered in Downtown in the future.

Promote the Landmark historic designation opportunity to property owners of eligible properties, supporting those that choose to pursue designation.

Update zoning and development design regulations to protect historic buildings, providing design compatibility, transitions and buffers from infill and redevelopment.

Assess the need for updates to the short term rental regulations as they apply to Landmark sites, which are mainly located in Downtown.

Enhance Arts, Events, and Activities

Public art enhances Downtown, while the arts district offers a range of cultural organizations and venues. Longstanding, large-scale community events should continue in Downtown. Adding frequent, small-scale activities can help activate and invite the community to frequent Downtown without substantial traffic and parking impacts.

Continue to own and provide subsidized public facilities for the use of arts and cultural organizations

Continue to foster partnerships and support additional performance venues in the Arts District.

Continue to provide City support for public art in Downtown.

Incorporate art into publicly owned buildings and public infrastructure.

Offer diverse large-scale events in Downtown that gather community members and help foster and retain a connected, friendly, small-town feel.

Manage Downtown to activate community spaces such as parks and plazas with small-scale social activities.

Continue pedestrian enhancements between arts venues, civic buildings, dining and shops to link to new facilities and encourage reinvestment.

Encourage murals and other artistic treatments on blank, non-historic building facades.

Offer Inviting Spaces for Informal Gathering and Entertainment

Residents seek the opportunity to linger in Downtown before and after purpose-driven visits. Informal entertainment spaces offer opportunities for community connection and identity.

Develop and enhance spaces for informal gathering and entertainment in activity centers.

Encourage private dining and shopping adjacent to and within public gathering spaces, to enliven and provide reasons to linger.

Use lighting and furnishings in community spaces to enhance safety and invite evening social use.

Encourage public access plazas and seating areas as part of private development to activate street edges.

Study the potential to enhance the design features on Main Street to add more outdoor seating capacity and enhance the ability to use it for festivals and events.

Analyze the best use and configuration of Zion’s Square to help activate the Arts District.

Investigate and consider adopting policies to invite and monitor buskers in the Arts District.

Identify and implement specific enhancements to Town Square to advance the economic vitality, arts and culture, and lifestyle vision of this plan.