Significant commercial growth underway in Ephraim
EPHRAIM—Development of a Burger King side by side with a Costa Vida Restaurant is underway in front of the Cobblestone Hotel & Suites in Ephraim.
Meanwhile, in mid-June, the Ephraim City Council approved a commercial subdivision in Ephraim Crossing, the first phase in what Mike Ballard, CEO of the Camino Verde Group, describes as the 45-acre “retail core” in the 300-acre multiuse development.
Then last Friday, Central Utah Title, which has offered title services in Sanpete County for more the 40 years, and for most of those years been based in the Manti post office building, announced it had purchased land in Ephraim Crossing a few blocks from the commercial subdivision for a new corporate headquarters.
The Cobblestone Hotel & Suites and the two franchise restaurants are located on Main Street at 900 North. The property involved was part of a 400-acre annexation initiated by Ephraim City in 2019. Following annexation, most of the land was zoned commercial.
In 2023, Jeremy Blain of Ephraim brought together four other partners to form DKJ Lodging. The partners purchased 5 acres of the annexed land from a private owner and entered into a franchise agreement with Cobblestone Hotels, LLC of Wisconsin. A groundbreaking for the Cobblestone Hotel & Suites was held June 12, 2023.
In Ephraim, when a commercial development involves more than one structure, the developer must submit a commercial subdivision plan, generally with each building on a separate lot. Such subdivisions must be approved by the city council.
In November 2023, the Ephraim City Council approved such a three-lot subdivision on the 900 North property, with the hotel located on approximately 2.75 acres, and the remainder of the property divided into two lots, both just over an acre.
The lodging company sold both lots to Desert Rock Properties, LLC of Sandy. In May of this year, Megan Spurling, Ephraim city planner, informed the council Desert Rock had paid impact fees and hoped to open the restaurants in the fall.
Construction started about the first of June. The Burger King will be on the north side of the property, with the larger Costa Vida restaurant on the south and shared parking between the two businesses.
The Ephraim Crossing commercial subdivision is located west of U.S. 89 at about 750 South. The project is served by major collector roads in Ephraim Crossing, including Ephraim Crossing Parkway and Camino Verde Boulevard, and is next door to a proposed hospital site.
The commercial subdivision consists of four lots ranging from approximately a half-acre to 1.8 acres. Ballard says Camino Verde envisions using the largest of the lots for a hotel such as a LaQuinta Inn. The company envisions using the other three lots for two 600-square-foot “multi-tenant” buildings similar to the ones that have gone in the northeast part of Ephraim.
Ballard says possible tenants include “a sandwich (shop) and other small restaurants, a drink shop and maybe small businesses like insurance agents, nail salons and similar-type companies.”
Regarding the Central Utah Title Co. purchase, a press release quotes Glen Green, the company president, as saying, “We are incredibly excited to purchase this land from Ephraim Crossing. … A dedicated headquarters opening in 2027 will let our experienced team better serve clients, whether they’re buying a home, refinancing or navigating complex commercial transactions, in a state-of-the art space designed to make every closing as smooth and stress-free as possible.”
The same press release quotes Ballard as saying Central Utah Title represents “exactly the kind of community-minded business we envision for this project…It’s exciting to partner with leaders who share our vision for what Ephraim Crossing will become.”