With time winding down in his one-year mayoral term, deHarte outlines priorities, addresses concerns at town hall

Palm Springs Mayor Ron deHarte outlined the city’s progress on major projects and voiced concerns about the recently passed $172 million budget during a town hall Wednesday evening at Palm Springs City Hall.

Roughly 50 residents attended the meeting, where deHarte provided updates on development projects, infrastructure improvements and city priorities during a 40-minute talk before fielding questions from a handful of constituents about issues affecting their neighborhoods.

DeHarte, who has two months remaining in his one-year term as mayor before Mayor Pro Tem Naomi Soto takes over, said he held the meeting to provide constituents a direct opportunity to hear updates on top issues and to raise questions or share thoughts about the city’s direction. The timing for the event was right, he said, because other council members were attending a League of Cities convention, making Council Chambers available.

“I set out to be open and transparent and get as much information out to the public as we can,” deHarte said after the event. The town hall was his second such event, with the previous one held in April.

As he transitions back to his councilmember seat, deHarte said he will continue championing the priorities he outlined at the meeting.

“I’m still going to be on council, so I will continue to carry forward the priorities that I have today,” he said. “So that’s not going to change.”

DeHarte’s presentation covered a range of topics including troubled development projects, the city’s zoning code update, short-term rental regulations, homelessness programs, infrastructure improvements and the city’s $3.2 billion development pipeline. He also raised concerns about the city’s budget and called for fiscal discipline.

On the Dream Hotel project, deHarte said he met with the project’s backer in New York last week to express the city’s frustration with delays and loss of credibility. The developer of the project, which faces a January 2027 deadline, has so far not filed an extension notice.

“I was very direct with him and his entire team,” deHarte said of the New York meeting. “I let them know that they lost all credibility within our community.”

DeHarte said he also met with representatives from the company providing $250 million to $275 million in project funding. He said he is now more confident the financing is real and available once the developer completes value reengineering work to reduce project costs by $80 million.

Discussing another stalled hotel development, deHarte noted that the city has issued a default notice to the developer of the Orchid Tree Hotel project for failing to meet key milestones, submit complete planning applications, pay fees and perform required stabilization work on structures at the site. The developer has 30 days to cure the defaults.

“This council has made it loud and clear that we’re not going to stand by while developers tell the citizens, and tell us, how the city’s going to be run,” deHarte said.

On the city zoning code update that has recently been cause for concern, deHarte said a preliminary map published on the city’s website gave the false impression that the city council had approved allowing five-story high-density buildings in established neighborhoods.

“I will fight any action or any attempt to put high-rise housing in our established neighborhoods,” he said. “It’s just not Palm Springs. It’s not what we moved here for.”

DeHarte said the zoning code program will not come before the city council until April at the earliest.

On other topics, deHarte reaffirmed his support for a ballot initiative to establish a citywide elected mayor to replace the current one-year rotating system. A recent poll showed 89% of Palm Springs residents support responsible short-term rentals, up from 82% in 2023, which deHarte attributed to effective enforcement efforts.

On the budget, deHarte expressed concern that the recently passed $172 million spending plan relies on overly optimistic revenue projections at a time of economic uncertainty. The city deferred the full annual paydown on its $200 million pension liability, which deHarte called a long-term risk that will need to be addressed in future budget cycles.

DeHarte highlighted successes in addressing homelessness, including a 63% decrease in unhoused individuals since 2023. The Navigation Center’s 80 independent modular living quarters are operating at 90% to 100% capacity.

He outlined infrastructure projects including bridge work on Indian Canyon and South Palm Canyon, and the widening of the Ramon Road Bridge to six lanes. The Palm Springs International Airport expansion, a $2.2 billion project, will double the number of gates to accommodate growth in visitors.

The city has $3.2 billion in commercial and residential development in the pipeline, including the $45 million College of the Desert campus opening in 2027, a $125 million convention center enhancement, a $34 million Plaza Theatre revitalization and a $45 million library renovation.

During the question period, residents raised concerns about electrical infrastructure problems, with one condominium complex reporting approximately $600,000 in damages from a power surge that affected 74 units. It was the second such surge in 11 months affecting the west side neighborhood.

“This is a serious safety issue,” one resident said, asking the mayor to contact Southern California Edison to hold them accountable.

DeHarte said he was hearing about the issue for the first time and promised to investigate.

Other residents raised concerns about a proposed hotel development in Midtown, which would include a 98-foot-tall structure. Residents said they are worried about the precedent the project would set and its impact on infrastructure capacity and the city’s village character.

“A village of 98-foot-tall buildings, it’s not a village, that’s a city,” one resident said.

DeHarte said the project is early in the process and must still go through planning commission review and modifications before coming to the city council.

DeHarte concluded his talk by addressing concerns about civility in political discourse, calling on the community to embrace respect and understanding even in disagreement.

“Our ability to hold multiple opinions, even in disagreement, is a strength,” he said. “Let us embrace and respect and understand one another.”

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Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story stated that the developer of the Dream Hotel project had filed an extension notice. The story should have said that the developer has not done this. The story is now corrected.

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