Created in 1994, the Utah School and Institutional Lands Trust Administration (SITLA) is charged with managing 3.4 million acres of state trust lands and generating revenue from these lands to support public schools, universities, hospitals, and other important institutions. In 2015, SITLA released a request for proposals to develop a parcel of land south of St. George and the project was awarded to GWC Capital for the development of Desert Color, a 3500 acre master-planned community.

From the beginning, the project benefited from SITLA’s conception of the property as a water conservation development and its foresight in installing secondary water infrastructure throughout the property. This foundation, an extension of St. George’s existing secondary water system, is one reason that Desert Color will ultimately use 40% less drinking or culinary water than other developments in Washington County. In addition, Desert Color is Utah’s first Localscape-certified development. As such, the water-conserving principles of xeriscaping are fully realized throughout the development, including functional use of lawn grasses, low water use plants, and efficient irrigation using secondary water sources.

Early on, some builders had to be convinced that Desert Color’s development plans could work. They needed to be sold on the product, the design guidelines, and particularly on the plans for xeriscaping. Some builders were immediately interested while others took longer to accept the innovation inherent in the plan. After a few months of initial work, both builders and consumers recognized the potential of Desert Color and the ways in which all the community amenities could work together to support residents. Today, local, regional, and national builders are working in the Desert Color development.

Initially, the overall community plan included plans for a new golf course. However, in considering the amount of water required for golf course irrigation in relation to the proportion of residents served, GWC Capital reconsidered how to develop community amenities. The need for a community “center of gravity” still existed, but it would not be
a golf course. Nor would it be a sports complex once it was determined that this type of facility was not needed in the region. Instead, a 2.5-acre lagoon was built at the heart of the community.

Perhaps not the most obvious choice, the lagoon is actually a visible demonstration of putting low quality waters to beneficial use. A well on the property is the source of water for the lagoon, but the water is brackish and not suitable for human consumption. To improve the quality of the water to levels appropriate for a swimming lagoon, Desert Color built a private water treatment plant. The benefit-cost ratio of the lagoon for the entire community of residents is better than a golf course would have been, and there is the added benefit that fewer residents will build their own private swimming pools.

Another water-conserving aspect of Desert Color is the density of building. Residential density is higher and building lots are smaller than other developments in the region, with even the largest lots not exceeding 10,000 square feet. Instead, the focus of the development plan is on supporting shared community amenities. For example, communal lawn areas, pocket parks, trail systems, nature preserves, and the lagoon all provide social and recreational opportunities that residents no longer need to create for themselves on their individual lots. Centralized management of these areas also increases maintenance efficiency and eases financial and time burdens on individual residents.

In developing Desert Color, GWC Capital had an advantage in that SITLA had the foresight to conceive of a water conservation community and make that a condition of developing that land. GWC Capital communicated early and often with St. George City and the Washington County Water Conservancy District to make sure that Desert Color
would fit into the community and fulfill the vision of having “a holistic community built around a plan of connectivity, community, and sustainability” and would accommodate growth in a water conscious way. Close working relationships between St. George’s mayor and city council and GWC Capital helped shape the development plan and continue to inform relationships with the community being established there. While the process has not always been easy, early and ongoing communication has helped to build consensus. According to Robert Behunin of GWC Capital, “They now own the plan as much as we own our own plan.”