Entryway getting a new look
Development to change the face of north Palm Springs

Stefanie Frith
The Desert Sun
July 30, 2006

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PALM SPRINGS - As a child, William Pellum never thought there would be anything more to north Palm Springs than his Desert Highland Gateway Neighborhood.
As an adult and the recreation program specialist at James O. Jessie Desert Highland Unity Center, Pellum sees now he was wrong.

Meet the new north Palm Springs.

There's traffic on Tram-view Road near the new Mountain Gate housing development.

There are new faces at his recreation center.

There are green tarps and chain link fences down Indian Avenue and surrounding streets.

And there's more to come.

Developers have discovered Palm Springs. That's apparent to anyone who takes a drive around the city.

But the north end, out by the Palm Springs Visitors Center, is seeing the steadiest flow of construction, either in the works or soon to start.


The result is a changing entryway to Palm Springs from the north and changing exit out of town on Indian Avenue.
Desert vistas are disappearing, only to be replaced with a sea of rooflines.

"When I was growing up, we thought our neighborhood was so far away," said Pellum. "But it's definitely a good thing for the city. Property values are going up."

That's for sure. Homes that sold for around $100,000 a couple of years ago in the Desert Highland area are now selling in the $400,000s, as a result of nearby Mountain Gate and the rising market.

And there's more development to come, thanks to second-home buyers, families relocating and trend-setters who have discovered the city's cool factor - a plethora of mid-century modern architecture, a celebrity culture, nearby mountains and a downtown where it was once common to see Marilyn Monroe.

Next month, the Planning Commission is expected to review developer Dennis Cunningham's Pedregal 132 townhome project off Tramway Road.

A 1,239-home project, Avalon, was recently reviewed by the Architectural Advisory Committee for a spot off Avenida Caballeros and San Rafael Drive.

The city is also working to bring a west valley College of the Desert campus near the Desert Highland Unity Center. 43@Racquet Club is nearly complete. The Palm Springs Art Colony at Palm Canyon Drive and Racquet Club was recently reviewed by the Architectural Advisory Committee, and John Wessman's Boulders and Crescendo housing developments next to the Chino Cone are in the environmental review stages.

A different lifestyle

"Palm Springs is really an infill city," said Cunningham. "A rounding off of Palm Springs coming to its completion."
Councilman and 44-year Palm Springs resident Chris Mills agreed, saying the city is filling up.

"We have a lot (of development) because people are realizing Palm Springs is an option to down valley, which has turned into more of an Orange County-type feel."

Instead, Palm Springs has a slower lifestyle, a downtown and a proximity to the San Jacinto Mountains that no other valley city has, said Mills.

All of these developments on the north end of town will change the entry to the city from the north. Cunningham's Pedregal project pegs itself as the new gateway project and so does the Art Colony. Cunningham is also working on another townhouse project on North Palm Canyon Drive as well as a commercial building.

But Mills said Palm Springs won't lose its desert feel. As visitors and residents enter the city on Highway 111, the view of the open desert to the left is expected remain because it serves the Coachella Valley Water District, he said.

And the city is working on a plan to keep some open space in and around the Chino Cone to the right, he said. While Century Vintage Homes (developer of Mountain Gate) plans to build about 500 homes on 310 acres in and around the Chino Cone and Cunningham is working with property owner Steve Nichols to create some new tourism aspects around the Visitors Center, there will still be a series of open space areas, said Mills.

"What we are trying to do is make sure that a lot of that feeling (of open space) is preserved," he said.
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MANY PROJECTS:

Here's a look at some of the projects that are in the works or proposed for the north area of Palm Springs, from Racquet Club Road on toward Interstate 10.

Century Vintage Homes: 500 homes on 310 acres in and around the Chino Cone.

Murano: 57 homes on 20 acres at San Rafael and Francis Drives.

Avalon (formerly Palm Springs Village): 1,239 homes on 309 acres at Avenida Caballeros and San Rafael Drive.

The Montecito: 38 townhouses on 4 acres at 305 W. San Rafael Drive.

Tangerine: 12 town-houses at North Palm Canyon Drive and Via Escuela.

Coyote Run II: 66-unit affordable apartments on 7 acres at 3801 N. Sunrise Way.

The Enclave: 52 homes on 16 acres at Sunrise Way and Francis Drive.

43@Racquet Club: 43 townhouses on about 5 acres at Racquet Club and Zanjero roads.

Mountain Gate II: 196 homes on 46 acres at Highway 111 and Tramview Road.

Palermo: 147 town-houses, 64 condos and an 18-hole golf course on 20 acres at Indian Canyon and San Rafael Drives.

Boulders: 46 homes on 30 acres off Highway 111 and Tramway Road.

Crescendo: 79 homes on 42 acres near Highway 111 and Tramway Road.