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Virgin mayor urges grocery, worker housing and water fixes as tourism rises
Summary
Mayor Jean Krause told Community Education News that Virgin, Utah, population just over 700, is seeing increased visitation from campgrounds and events and needs a grocery store, retail space, worker housing, and work on a water contract; she also cited the need for a UDOT partnership for highway landscaping.
Mayor Jean Krause said Virgin, Utah, a town of just over 700 people on the way to Zion National Park, is seeing rising visitation and needs essential businesses, worker housing and work on a water contract to manage increasing demands.
"We don't want any more of that. We want a grocery store. We want retail. We want other businesses in town," Krause said in an interview with Melissa Anderson of Community Education News, describing a local boom in camping and glamping that is bringing more visitors.
The town has seen a variety of new lodging options, Krause said, including tent camps, wagon-style sites and AutoCamp-style Airstream trailers. Those options, combined with events nearby, have increased traffic through Virgin and put pressure on local services. "Red Bull Rampage takes place right outside Virgin," Krause said, and riders and spectators use Virgin for parking and access to nearby Bureau of Land Management and State Institutional Trust Lands Administration properties.
The mayor said attracting basic retail — notably a grocery store — is a priority. She urged landowners to subdivide parcels into smaller lots so developers or small-business tenants might be more likely to build. Krause said some essential businesses are beginning to appear along State Route 9 (SR-9), but more are needed.
Water is another central concern. Krause said Virgin receives water from a water conservancy district, and the county and the water conservancy district have pushed the town to change its water contract and consolidate with the sewer district; she said she has spent time working on that issue. The interview did not include specific contract terms or a timeline for any change.
Krause also told the reporter she wants to encourage construction of smaller, more affordable homes so people who work at Zion National Park can afford to live in Virgin. She described most current residents as retired and said the town is trying to attract housing suitable for workers.
On town appearance, Krause said she has plans for additional landscaping along the highway but that landscaping would require a partnership with the Utah Department of Transportation. She said there is little point in investing in roadside improvements until commercial development along the highway progresses.
Krause described the mayor's job as time-consuming and said Virgin does not have a town manager, so she handles many day-to-day calls and duties herself. "They think I have the power to do things that I do not have the power to do," she said, adding that the role is effectively a 24/7 job. She said she has not decided whether she will run for another four-year term.
The interview with Krause was conducted by Melissa Anderson of Community Education News and focused on the town's response to increased visitation and related infrastructure and housing needs.
