Old downtown Fire Station 2, St. George, Utah, Feb. 21, 2019 | Photo by Joseph Witham, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A Southern Utah-based brewing company has received approval to open up a new brewery and pub in downtown St. George

During a public meeting Thursday evening, the St. George City Council unanimously approved an application by Zion Brewing Company for a conditional use permit to convert the now-vacant Fire Station 2 at 150 N. Main Street into a brewery.

The city is going to sell the building to Zion Brewing proprietor Brooks Pace, St. George Communications Director David Cordero said.

The fire station had recently become defunct, and equipment and personnel were moved to more modern facilities. Plans are in place to build a new fire station elsewhere to replace it.

Mayor Jon Pike said having a brewery establishment in this area will help with the city’s goal of attracting more visitors to the downtown area.

“We’re trying to be a community that is open to all people who would like to visit here or live here,” Pike said.

According to a narrative document prepared by Zion Brewing describing plans for the project, the brewery will be installed in the station’s north bay, with a cooler and dry storage area to be built in the south bay. The 15-barrel brew house will employ a kegging, canning and bottling operation.

The station’s second floor will be converted into a full-service pub, serving wine, spirits and heavy beer. Preliminary plans also include a small, fenced-in outdoor beer garden on the southwest side of the building.

The pub will feature a limited food menu with such items as hot dogs, nuts and chips, so as not to compete with the many nearby restaurants. The company also plans to sell to-go beer products in-house from a range of eight craft brews.

According to the company narrative, products will be sold “at a price that would discourage the young partiers.”

Special attention is being made to ensure the building is an aesthetically pleasing, inviting place for the downtown area, with plans to place colorful flower pots and hanging baskets around the front of the building.

“We would keep the art deco style of the building and do fun and attractive signs,” the company narrative states.

Zion Brewing is in the process of finalizing various regulatory and licensing requirements, but co-owner Chris Pace said the company is aiming to open the brewery as early as this summer.

“We’re looking to break ground as soon as possible,” Chris Pace told St. George News.

The Paces come to the project with extensive experience in the brewing industry. Zion Brewing Company has been operating in Springdale since 2008, and the Paces took over ownership in 2012.

A corollary brew pub was also opened in Springdale in 2013, which Chris Pace said has served as the backbone of the brewery. He said he’s excited to expand the operation, explaining that St. George will serve as a key location toward that goal.

“We’ve always wanted to get a foothold down here, and this is our opportunity,” he said.

Currently, the brewery self-distributes exclusively in Southern Utah, with products being shipped to as far north as Cedar City. A full list of craft beers offered by the brewery can be found on the Zion Brewing Company website.

Email: jwitham@stgnews.com

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