Five Guys, Rocky Mountain Chocolate and more coming to Rexburg
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REXBURG — Pizza, chocolate, burgers and fries are coming to Rexburg in a big way this summer.
The popular burger joint Five Guys will open, along with several other businesses, restaurants and housing. This change is expected to add more to the economy with a potential of hundreds of jobs.
“What we’re doing exceeds what our original vision was,” Hemming Village President Richie Webb said during a State of the Cities and County Breakfast on Wednesday. The event, sponsored by the Rexburg Area Chamber of Commerce, was a gathering of local politicians and business leaders to discuss the new development.
Webb said plans to bring in popular new businesses have been in the works for months. The incoming businesses are part of Phase 2 of the Hemming Village expansion project along West 2nd South. Phase one of the development was first introduced to the city of Rexburg in 2008. It includes shops, restaurants, and housing such as The Willows, Freeman Clothing Company, Deseret Book, Gator Jacks, Kiwi Loco, Jimmy Johns and more.
Besides Five Guys, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and a local pizza restaurant called Righteous Slice will be moving into the development.
“We think it’s going to be a great gathering place for a lot of activity here in Rexburg. We’re pleased that it’s happening in the core of Rexburg. I think it’s a good support to what’s happening downtown, and in trying to keep business active and alive in the downtown core,” Webb said.
Navex Global, already located in Rexburg, will be expanding, and Idaho Central Credit Union also will have a second branch in the plaza. Navex Global is projecting their expansion will bring some 200 jobs.
“They’re growing and they’ve really been impressed with the quality of the workforce, so they’ve chosen to expand right here in Rexburg,” Webb said. “They’re growing dramatically from where they are right now.”
Webb said Grifols Biomat Plasma on Main Street will have a second location at Hemming Village. It will be a 14,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility.
In addition to the new commercial properties, the Hemming Village expansion also includes housing, retail and a large parking garage. Webb said two levels of married/community housing will be constructed with 53 housing units.
“We’re creating more places to live along with the single student housing that we’ve just opened recently – the new Cedars just opened for Winter Semester (at BYU-Idaho),” Webb said. “We feel like we’ve created a really great sense of place so that you can shop, you can eat, you can work, you can live. It becomes just a very convenient place near a lot of goods and services near campus.”
Chris Mann, CEO of the Rexburg Area Chamber of Commerce, said locals can be happy about the booming economy in Rexburg.
“We’re excited about Five Guys, the new pizza place and the office space,” Mann said. “That’s going to bring a lot of jobs into Rexburg and that’s not the only place that’s booming in Rexburg. Lots of our shopping centers are doing very well. We’re excited for the business community and for what the city and the counties can do.”