Can St. George Grow Without Losing Its Soul? Tech Ridge, Housing Crisis & What Comes Next
Sun Nov 23 2025
Southern Utah's future won't be decided by accident.
We take you inside the most consequential choices shaping St. George right now—from Tech Ridge's emerging skyline and the plan to heal the Black Hill scar, to the four paradoxes that determine whether growth feels livable or overwhelming: housing, resources, wages, and heritage.
What You'll Get in This Episode:
Tech Ridge vision – skyline impacts, 60 acres of parks and trails, and smarter traffic with new southern accessBlack Hill scar fix – why this signals stewardship and design standards for the futureHousing paradox – supply constraints on only 11% developable land vs. policies that inflate demandResource limits – water scarcity, hillside ordinances, and view corridors that protect ridgesJobs and wages – moving from population-tied sectors to higher-pay career laddersHeritage and identity – trails, lights, festivals, and shared rituals that bind newcomers to long-timersBalance of power – courts vs. executive authority and Utah's redistricting tensionCommunity spotlight – Stuff The Bus toy drive at Station One on December 5thLive format plans – upcoming guests and a call for your inputThis is a candid, on-the-ground tour of how density, design, and economic mix can protect views, trails, and small-town character while raising incomes and keeping families here. From clustered mixed-use neighborhoods to the policies that make beauty non-negotiable, we lay out the roadmap to grow with intent.
We also zoom out to the national headlines shaping the backdrop: UAP revelations, courts rebalancing executive power, and how these threads pull back to local stakes—trust in institutions, transparent tradeoffs, and the social fabric that keeps neighbors moving in the same direction.
If you care about where St. George is headed over the next 20 years, this is your jumping-in point.
Subscribe, share with a neighbor, and tell us in the comments: What heritage do you refuse to lose as Southern Utah grows? Your voice is the difference between growth that happens to us and a future we build on purpose.
Looking for a Real Estate expert? Find us here!
www.wealth435.com
https://linktr.ee/wealth435
Below are our wonderful friends!
Find FS Coffee here:
https://fscoffeecompany.com/
Find Tuacahn Amphitheater here:
https://www.tuacahn.org/
Find Blue Form Media here:
https://www.blueformmedia.com/
#StGeorge #SouthernUtah #UtahPolitics #HousingCrisis #TechRidge #WashingtonCounty #CommunityDevelopment #The435Podcast
[00:00:00] Opening Banter And Show Setup
[00:07:15] Tech Ridge Plans And The Black Hill Scar
[00:18:40] Density, Traffic, And Skyline Impacts
[00:27:30] Age Of Disclosure And UAP Politics
[00:38:05] Courts, Borders, And Balance Of Power
[00:49:20] Community Drive: Stuff The Bus Details
[00:53:45] Holiday Events Around Southern Utah
[00:59:20] Framing Southern Utah's Growth Pillars
More
Southern Utah's future won't be decided by accident. We take you inside the most consequential choices shaping St. George right now—from Tech Ridge's emerging skyline and the plan to heal the Black Hill scar, to the four paradoxes that determine whether growth feels livable or overwhelming: housing, resources, wages, and heritage. What You'll Get in This Episode: Tech Ridge vision – skyline impacts, 60 acres of parks and trails, and smarter traffic with new southern accessBlack Hill scar fix – why this signals stewardship and design standards for the futureHousing paradox – supply constraints on only 11% developable land vs. policies that inflate demandResource limits – water scarcity, hillside ordinances, and view corridors that protect ridgesJobs and wages – moving from population-tied sectors to higher-pay career laddersHeritage and identity – trails, lights, festivals, and shared rituals that bind newcomers to long-timersBalance of power – courts vs. executive authority and Utah's redistricting tensionCommunity spotlight – Stuff The Bus toy drive at Station One on December 5thLive format plans – upcoming guests and a call for your inputThis is a candid, on-the-ground tour of how density, design, and economic mix can protect views, trails, and small-town character while raising incomes and keeping families here. From clustered mixed-use neighborhoods to the policies that make beauty non-negotiable, we lay out the roadmap to grow with intent. We also zoom out to the national headlines shaping the backdrop: UAP revelations, courts rebalancing executive power, and how these threads pull back to local stakes—trust in institutions, transparent tradeoffs, and the social fabric that keeps neighbors moving in the same direction. If you care about where St. George is headed over the next 20 years, this is your jumping-in point. Subscribe, share with a neighbor, and tell us in the comments: What heritage do you refuse to lose as Southern Utah grows? Your voice is the difference between growth that happens to us and a future we build on purpose. Looking for a Real Estate expert? Find us here! www.wealth435.com https://linktr.ee/wealth435 Below are our wonderful friends! Find FS Coffee here: https://fscoffeecompany.com/ Find Tuacahn Amphitheater here: https://www.tuacahn.org/ Find Blue Form Media here: https://www.blueformmedia.com/ #StGeorge #SouthernUtah #UtahPolitics #HousingCrisis #TechRidge #WashingtonCounty #CommunityDevelopment #The435Podcast [00:00:00] Opening Banter And Show Setup [00:07:15] Tech Ridge Plans And The Black Hill Scar [00:18:40] Density, Traffic, And Skyline Impacts [00:27:30] Age Of Disclosure And UAP Politics [00:38:05] Courts, Borders, And Balance Of Power [00:49:20] Community Drive: Stuff The Bus Details [00:53:45] Holiday Events Around Southern Utah [00:59:20] Framing Southern Utah's Growth Pillars