Council initiates revamp of plan outlining uses for former COD campus site in northern Palm Springs

The Palm Springs City Council on Thursday approved the first step in reimagining the original site of the College of the Desert West Valley campus.

During Thursday evening’s regular meeting, councilmembers voted to approve a $247,000 contract with consultants to both rename and conduct a comprehensive update of the existing College Park Specific Plan. The plan was adopted in 2011 so that the cultural and economic benefits of the planned campus could be optimized in the surrounding area. 

The city originally purchased the 116-acre parcel off Tramview Road and Indian Canyon Drive from the Department of the Interior for $2.1 million, then donated it to COD in 2010 for the construction of the West Valley Campus. That campus is now being planned for a new location at the corner of South Farrell Drive and East Baristo Road.

With the college being constructed elsewhere, the city sees an opportunity to use the land for other purposes. It has gone as far as to offer to buy the land back from the college for $5.7 million, the same amount offered by a developer that hopes to build 850 units of housing.

Under the current specific plan, the land is zoned for educational purposes and the surrounding area was zoned with the assumption that a college would be at the heart of the neighborhood.

The consultants will conduct an update of the specific plan, which will outline new zoning, development standards, design guidelines, and circulation goals including promoting transit, cycling, and pedestrian access.

The team will also conduct economic and land-use analyses as well as outreach including workshops, surveys, and mobile engagements with the community. They will also form an advisory committee made up of community leaders.

Planning Director Christopher Hadwin told councilmembers the update is necessary to develop the area into the future.

“How can we remove barriers and attract the right type of housing, jobs, and services to serve that community now and into the future?” Hadwin asked in stating the purpose of revisiting the plan.

“Certainly, we would look at residential,” said Mayor Jeffrey Bernstein. “But I believe commercial development is something very important to this area.”

Reworking the plan will take about a year. In the end, it’s expected that the team will report back to the Planning Commission and City Council to approve proposed changes.

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