DAILY BRIEFING: September 2, 2021
Good morning. It's Thursday, September 2. Expect sunny skies and a high of 101 degrees today. First, some news you need to know ...
Serena Park development moves ahead with requirements for cleanup, cash
Members of the Palm Springs Planning Commission, sharing in frustrations expressed by residents of surrounding neighborhoods, voted Wednesday evening to move the proposed Serena Park development forward, but not before adding multiple new conditions in the process.
“We need a sign of goodwill,” said Commissioner J.R. Roberts during deliberation of the conditions. “What we’ve got is seven years of unfulfilled promises.”
What residents of the Whitewater Club, Gene Autry, Four Seasons, and Desert Park Estates neighborhoods have is an eyesore to look at, as 126 acres that used to be the Palm Springs Country Club has sat vacant for 14 years. Trash, weeds, and dead trees long ago overtook the manicured fairways and cart paths. More homeless camps than houses have appeared on the property since the 386-unit Serena Park development was first proposed in 2016.
“In the past five years, they have not been a good neighbor to us,” said Denise Janssen Eager, speaking about the owners of the property during a public hearing on the development Wednesday evening. “They have made promises to our five HOAs that they would upkeep this land and stop the homeless who keep entering the property. It has only been through repeated phone calls that we have been able to force [them] to take any action.”
Under conditions approved by the Planning Commission Wednesday, Janssen Eager and others may soon get some relief. The developers, collectively known as PS Country Club LLC and represented by Eric Taylor, sought approval of a roughly 1.5-year delay in the project’s schedule and a one-year delay in the payment of $3 million in fees coming due November 1. The city would use the money to purchase new open space after housing is built on the former golf course.
If approved by the Palm Springs City Council later this month, Taylor’s group would get the requested delays but be required to do the following:
Thoroughly clean all garbage and dead foliage from the property and secure it within 30 days;
Provide a copy of a contract with a security company for daily monitoring of the property to the city; and
Pay the city $1 million free and clear this year and $2 million in 2022.
Taylor, who announced during the meeting that his company has sold the homebuilding rights at Serena Park to another company, Williams Homes, said getting the homes built is his priority, but added that issues plaguing the property existed prior to his company’s involvement.
“We’ve had trespassing, vandalism, graffiti, tearing down of fences, and homelessness issues there,” Taylor acknowledged. “They have been with this project since before we owned it. I spent lots of time working on this property with the previous owner. They even had to tear down a building because things got so bad.
“The solution is to build houses, to create a development we’ve spent years on. That will solve the problem for the city and the residents that surround this.”
Under the revised timeline, the earliest homes would be ready for occupancy on the property would be December 2022. For some on the Planning Commission, however, that date seems far-fetched.
“They have nothing,” said Roberts. “They have submitted little to nothing to the city. To have a house up in a little over a year, I don’t see that happening in the best possible scenario.”
Residents who live near the proposed development voiced similar disbelief Wednesday evening and in written remarks submitted to the Planning Commission before Wednesday’s public hearing.
“Our neighborhood has patiently waited on the start of this development for years now, with no progress at all happening,” wrote Kevin Campbell, an Alexander Club Drive resident. “I am concerned about the developer’s financial ability to move forward, as well as the increased traffic on neighborhood streets. There have been multiple extensions on this, but the time has come to either move forward with payment and begin construction or cease the project entirely.”
OTHER ACTION
In a vote that preceded the Serena Park discussion, the Planning Commission approved a permit to allow “hyphen,” a natural wine and organic beer shop, to open at 1007 N. Palm Canyon Dr.
In documents filed with the city, owner John Libonati said opening the shop fulfills his visions when first visiting the city at 23 of both moving here and, later, opening a business that meets a need.
“The presence of natural wines in Palm Springs is sparse,” he wrote. “…I’ve searched for two years for just the right location in Palm Springs, and I’m very excited to have found one with great neighbors like Grace Home and Sea Plane.”
Libonati had a similar business in Boston and a bar in New York City. He chose the name “hyphen,” he said, “because a hyphen connects, a hyphen joins.”
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BRIEFLY
CONVICTED: An 86-year-old man who killed one pedestrian and injured another while driving drunk in Palm Springs was convicted Wednesday of murder. An Indio jury also convicted Palm Springs resident Leroy Silva of DUI causing bodily injury, DUI causing bodily injury with a blood-alcohol level of more than 0.08%, two counts of hit-and-run resulting in death or injury, and sentence-enhancing allegations of causing great bodily injury. The charges stemmed from the July 2019 death of Lemon Grove resident Connie Clark and the injury of another woman. The women, both 67, were crossing Calle Encilia outside the Agua Caliente Casino when they were struck. Riverside County Superior Court Judge Dale Wells set sentencing for Oct. 8. Silva is facing 23 years to life in state prison. Wells ordered Silva be held without bail at the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio.
CITY SURVEY: The City of Palm Springs will soon invite residents to participate in The National Community Survey — a nationwide survey used by local governments to poll their communities on a broad spectrum of topics. The poll results will provide a snapshot of sentiment about community characteristics and livability on subjects, including quality of life, economic development, priorities for the future, public safety, and City Hall operations. The first phase includes mailings to 2,700 randomly selected households. Postcards will be mailed to these addresses beginning this week to alert residents that they have been selected to participate. About a week later, those households will receive an invitation and a link to take the online survey. The open participation portion of the survey is scheduled to begin the week of September 20. The city will distribute the survey link widely to get maximum participation.
SCHOOL COVID: As of this morning, the Palm Springs Unified School District is reporting 78 cases of COVID-19 among students and staff. Schools in Palm Springs account for eight of those cases, all among students. The most cases in any city school were reported at Palm Springs High School, where three students are reportedly infected.
TODAY’S EVENTS
MIZELL EVENTS: The Mizell Center, 480 S. Sunrise Way, offers exercise classes, informational programs and other events for members today, starting at 8 AM. Among the offerings is a movie titled The Founder, starting at 10:30 AM in the Noia Auditorium. Today’s complete schedule can be found here.
STORY TIME: The Palm Springs Public Library offers story time for preschoolers online starting at 10:30 AM in the youth story room. Librarian Nancy Valdivia reads stories, sings songs and shows early learning concepts (Wednesdays in Spanish and Thursdays in English). You can find more information here, and watch the YouTube videos here.
ONE-PS: The Organized Neighborhoods of Palm Springs (ONE-PS) holds its Board of Directors meeting at 2:30 PM. More information about that meeting, including participation information, is available here.
NOT TEEN TALK: The Palm Springs Public Library’s teen librarian hosts an Instagram Live session each Thursday at 3:30 PM. To follow along, follow @psplteenzone on Instagram here.
FOOD AVAILABLE: FIND Food Bank distributes food in the city today from 5 PM until 6:30 PM at the Palm Springs Convention Center, 277 N. Avenida Caballeros. Food is also available at the community food bank, 610 S. Belardo Rd., between 5 PM and 7 PM. A complete calendar of food distribution in the community this month is available here.
FREE MUSEUM ADMISSION: The Palm Springs Art Museum offers free admission from 5 PM to 7 PM this evening. Tickets are required and can be obtained here.
HUNGER HELP: Grounded Bodyworks, 1701 N. Palm Canyon Dr., Suite 3, will be supporting FIND Food Bank today with a food drive and vendor event from 5 PM until 8 PM. If you bring in canned goods for the food bank you will receive 20 percent off all purchases. There will be drinks, food, and shopping with local vendors in addition to local artists and DJs spinning through the night.
VILLAGEFEST: The city’s weekly outdoor street fair takes place at 7 PM on Palm Canyon Drive between Amado Road and Tahquitz Canyon Way. The event includes vendor booths on both sides of the street, which is closed to vehicular traffic. At this time, face coverings are required for all who attend, regardless of vaccination status.
ONGOING
HUNGER ACTION: Hunger remains at critical levels in California, exacerbated in the desert by prolonged unemployment, record heat waves, and the end of unemployment benefits. FIND Food Bank is engaging with the public through fundraising and awareness events this month in an effort to leave no local resident hungry. Multiple Palm Springs businesses are joining in the efforts. For more information on all local events this month, go here.
VOTING OPEN: Our partners at The Coachella Valley Independent have started the process of determining the best of the best in the Coachella Valley for 2021-2022 and need your help. Nominations are currently being accepted via fill-in-the-blank voting through September 13. After that, the top vote-getters in each category move on to the final round of voting, and winners are announced on November 22. To nominate a business or person in any one of multiple categories, start here.
FILM FESTIVAL: All-access passes, six-packs, and individual tickets are now on sale for Cinema Diverse: The Palm Springs LGBTQ+ Film Festival, held September 16 through 30 at the Historic Camelot Theatres at the Palm Springs Cultural Center, 2100 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way. This year, Cinema Diverse is offering a multi-platform experience with films available virtually and at the theater. Complete information about tickets for this year’s event can be found here. Sponsorship opportunities can be found here.
COMMUNITY CONNECTION
Want to know what’s happening in your city and at agencies that make decisions affecting your neighborhood? See below for calendars, meeting agendas, and links to all city services, police reports, code enforcement reports, and more:
City of Palm Springs calendar of events | Official city contacts
Palm Springs Library calendar of events
Palm Springs Unified School District calendar | Board meetings
Desert Healthcare District Board of Directors meeting agendas
Mizell Center calendar of events
Police reports | Submit a police report
Code compliance reports | Report a code violation
Current road projects and closures
Palm Springs Disposal pickup schedule
Currently active development projects