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County building official reports surge in commercial projects; data‑center proposal and large solar projects under review
Summary
Building and zoning director Terry Palmer told commissioners that commercial permit activity and several large projects — including two new gas stations, a proposed data center on roughly 2,000 acres, 100 MW solar and an AMPAC expansion — are moving through reviews and could reshape parts of the county.
Building and Zoning Director Terry Palmer told the Iron County Commission that commercial development activity has increased and that a number of large projects are in planning or early permitting stages.
"As of March 21, we've issued 18 permits this year compared to 11 last year," Palmer said, and added that the office had processed 35 plan reviews this year versus 104 last year and completed roughly 674 inspection stops. He reported $226,088 in revenue from permits so far this year.
Palmer described multiple commercial projects in varying stages of review: a Maverik (Maverick) station planned near the south interchange in Parowan, two Terrible's gas stations in Parowan, and tenant improvements at Commerce Crossroads. He said a prospective data center team performed a site visit on the north end of Lund Highway for roughly 2,000 acres and described the buildout as a "10 year build out project with over $50,000,000,000." He said the developer was targeting proximity to major gas and power lines and planned redundant power and fiber connections; Palmer noted modern data centers have reduced water use compared with older facilities.
Palmer also reported two large solar projects moving forward (including a 100 MW AC site north of Parowan), and that AMPAC (also referred to as WeCo/AMPAC) proposes to expand production capacity by nearly one‑third and is preparing a power study and substation work. He said BZI intends to submit plans for an office complex this summer.
Palmer flagged permitting and infrastructure items that will need attention if the projects proceed, such as interchange redesign with the state Department of Transportation for the Maverik site, road design and signatures with DOT, and agreements with landowners for the data center. He said staff are working with DOT and developers to finalize traffic and drainage details.
Palmer also reported on code enforcement: "Trent has been very active ... He's issued 42 violation letters so far this year," mostly along Lund Highway. He asked commissioners to consider revisiting a county nuisance ordinance related to travel trailers, living conditions, animals and commercial activity on residential parcels to address recurring violations.
Palmer's report did not include formal land‑use approvals; he urged the commission to expect future ordinance changes and permit applications and to be prepared for infrastructure coordination as the county negotiates annexation, encroachments and utility needs for major commercial projects.
