Planning Commission approves 16-unit townhome project at Sunrise Way and Amado Road after July delay

The Palm Springs Planning Commission on Tuesday moved forward a proposed 16-unit condo project for the northwest corner of Sunrise Way and Amado Road. 

The project would replace a vacant parking lot with 16 attached, two-story townhomes, each with its own small backyard pool. 

The commission first considered the project back in July, and voted to continue the item after raising concerns over how workers like pool cleaners and landscapers would reach the units’ backyards, the location of where utilities like electricity and gas would enter the buildings, and shading throughout the property. 

But the city staff report presented to the planning commission on Tuesday noted that “many of the Commission’s recommendations and requests are not consistent with California Senate Bills 330 (2019) and 35 (2017),” two state laws that mandate cities to only review residential projects based on objective design standards. 

Since the July meeting, the applicant has added a four-foot-wide concrete walkway along one edge of the parcel to provide backyard access for pool cleaners and landscapers. The applicant provided more information on shading, and rejected the commission’s suggestion that the project eliminate the sidewalk on one side of the drive that provides access to garages for aesthetic reasons.

Those sidewalks provide required protection for pedestrians under city code, the staff report noted. A request that a longer guest parking spot be added for landscape vehicles was similarly rejected, and isn’t something that’s required under city code. 

And as for the utilities, “the location of the utilities is not typically determined at the time of the Planning Commission review, nor is it part of the criteria for approval of a development permit,” a city staff member said Tuesday. 

Overall, city staff recommended approval of the project and found that the applicant “has provided reasonable and appropriate responses to the concerns raised by the Planning Commission that are within its scope of authority to consider,” states the staff report. 

The commission approved the project with the condition that if utility locations later change the site plan in a way that reduces overall shade, that the applicant will modify the plan to the satisfaction of the planning director. The condo project will next go to the Architectural Review Committee for consideration. 

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