SWEETWATER COUNTY — Wes and Jennifer Woodward of Rock Springs opened a nursery business, Simply Sunshine, this past year and have now gained approval to expand their business to better serve the community’s agricultural needs.
The Woodwards received unanimous approval from the Sweetwater County Commission Tuesday to amend the zoning of their property from Mixed Residental (R-2) to Retail Business (B) to open the nursery.
The nursery will be located at 363 Turret Drive, Rock Springs, which is west of Yellowstone Road and is located in the Mountainaire Subdivision.
The Planning and Zoning documents stated that:
“This district is intended to accommodate retail sales of consumer goods and services directly to the customer. Due to the nature of the services provided, B zones may be appropriate adjacent to residential areas if adequate setbacks and design standards are implemented. Good design and adequate off-street parking should be a part of any new area devoted to this zone. It may take the form of a small shopping center or a small central business district for a small community.”
Wes and Jennifer moved to Rock Springs in 2019 and couldn’t leave their passion for agriculture behind. They opened up a scaled back version of their dream nursery earlier this year, which operated out of their own yard with a city business license.
“We’re farmers by trade,” Jennifer said. “We got here thinking we could leave farming behind and we obviously could not.”
They wanted to have the nursery to give their kids something to work hard on, but also to address a community need.
“We wanted our kids to have hard work because that’s what we’re used to them having… But we also saw a real need for production and agriculture in this area,” Jennifer said.
However, after an “incredible” response from the community, they decided they wanted to expand their business. Therefore, they needed to find a new, bigger location, which is just a few blocks from the original location, and apply for a zoning amendment. They moved from a 0.2 acre lot to a 1 acre lot, allowing them much more space.
Jennifer said that local florists have already approached them about carrying cut flowers, as the florists currently have to bring flowers in from Utah which can be expensive. Additionally, people have already been trying to order trees.
The Commission expressed excitement over a new business coming into the community.
“This is exciting because we love new businesses in our community, especially because it’s a new business and it’s meeting a community need,” Commissioner Lauren Schoenfeld said.
Schoenfeld also suggested that the Woodward family contact the Sweetwater Economic Development Coalition to get some assistance with grants and other needs.
For more information on Simply Sunshine, check out their Facebook page and website.
