- The Palm Springs City Council has given the thumbs up to an 80-unit housing development on the city’s south end that was twice denied by the Planning Commission, whose members said the layout and density of the project didn’t jive with the feeling of Palm Springs.
- The council voted unanimously July 5 to approve an appeal of the commission’s decision on the Canyon View development, spearheaded by Newport Beach-based Summit Land Partners.
- Council member J.R. Roberts said the project has “changed in some positive ways” and that it would be a welcomed addition to the neighborhood.
- Mayor Rob Moon said he usually liked to follow the guidance of the commission but since the commission was split on the project, this was an unusual case.
- The Planning Commission first denied the project in September 2016. The developer appealed to the City Council, which in March took no action on the project and sent in back down to planning commissioners. In May, the commission again declined to approve the project, which had been revised since the board first looked at it, prompting another appeal to the council.
- The development, proposed for the vacant lot just west of the Von’s on East Palm Canyon Drive, will feature 80 single-family homes clustered around small cul de sac-like branches called motor courts. The two-story residences will range from 2,269 to 2,656 square feet.
- A site plan showing Canyon View, an 80-home subdivision in south Palm Springs. (Photo: Submitted photo: Summit Land Partners)
- Roberts said he thought the driveway configuration was aesthetically pleasing and gave ample room for drivers.
“What I like about this project is they really seem to understand the concept of the public benefit,” he said.
- Canyon View will also include a public dog park on the northwest end of the site, a private dog park for the residents on the southwest corner and a sculpture garden on the eastern side facing the shopping center containing Von’s.
- Council member Chris Mills said he largely agreed with the points Roberts made.
“Can we pause, mayor? Those words have never been uttered in my entire time on city council,” Roberts joked.
- “Well, there’s always a first time,” Mills responded.
- He added he was happy this vacant lot would now see a project that could come to fruition.
- Only one member of the public commented on the project. Cathy Wolff said she has lived in Canyon Sands across from the proposed development for more than a decade and believed the development would be a good addition to the area.
- “I’ve watched that empty lot for 11 years, watched it become a homeless encampment for many years,” she said. “What I’m seeing here, what they’ve presented, is really quite beautiful.”
- Corinne Kennedy covers the west valley for The Desert Sun. She can be reached at [email protected], on Twitter @CorinneSKennedy or at 760-778-4625.