City, tribal leaders postpone June meeting on warehouse development

The City of Palm Springs and the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians have agreed to postpone a June 3 joint meeting on a proposed warehouse development on Highway 111 at Tipton Road, a city spokesperson said Monday.

The meeting will be rescheduled for a mutually agreed upon date later this fall.

City officials said additional time is needed for the developer to address public comments on the Draft Tribal Environmental Impact Statement and to further evaluate several technical aspects of the project.

The meeting had been planned as a public forum for residents to learn more about the proposed Desert Mountain View Business Park and provide feedback directly to tribal leaders.

The project would add a 2.85 million-square-foot industrial warehouse complex on 217 acres of Agua Caliente trust land west of Tipton Road, south of Interstate 10 and north of Highway 111. The development would include four warehouse buildings ranging from 248,000 to more than 1.1 million square feet.

The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is the landowner and lead agency on the project, while Shopoff Realty Investments, operating as Desert Mountain View, LLC, is the developer under a long-term ground lease.

Because the project is located on tribal trust land, the city’s role is limited, and the Tribal Council will make the final decision. A joint meeting is intended to provide an opportunity for public input ahead of that decision.

The Palm Springs City Council adopted a conformity report on the project in December after more than 20 residents spoke in opposition, raising concerns about truck traffic, air pollution and impacts to the desert landscape. The council concluded the project does not conform with the city’s General Plan and zoning code and submitted a list of nonbinding recommendations to the tribe.

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